


Deal with the Devil

by asterkiss



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Fantasy, Demon Deals, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Human Bill Cipher, Older Mabel Pines, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, plot heavy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-02-05 03:04:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12785574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asterkiss/pseuds/asterkiss
Summary: In order to escape his demise a demon must offer a pure soul in exchange for his own. And luckily for him, one just landed right on his very doorstep.





	1. Welcome to Gravity Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First fic to break this account in. A story loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast. 
> 
> Welcome to a story full of demons, deals and dark romance.

_Burning buildings tumbled into ruin around him, bowing down before his omnipotent powers of destruction. His laughter was the only voice that echoed throughout the destroyed city, eyes alight with excitement._

_He’d done it._

_He’d finally done it._

_He was all powerful! He was a God! He was-!_

_“Impressive.”_

_His laughter cut off as he swiveled around to find a dark face in the very flames of his former home, a pair of black eyes and a shadowed face peering out at him. The smug smile dropped from his face, all traces of joy gone as he spoke flatly. “Oh, it’s you. What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy-"_

_“Do not forget.”_

_He frowned._

_“…Do not forget.” The voice spoke again, rebounding within the confines of his own mind. “I have shared with you a fraction of my power. One thousand years shall pass and then…” The face and voice began to fade away._

**_“Then your soul shall be mine.”_ **

_The entity vanished, leaving the young man in solitude once again. He frowned for a moment before rolling his eyes and turning his back on the flames. Creating a jovial whistle from his lips he began to pace down the burning road littered with charred corpses with a skip in his step._

_One thousand years, huh? So what?_

_That was an eternity away._

_He’d have something figured out by then._

_Definitely._

 

. . . . . . .

 

“Hup!”

Mabel Pines jumped down from the fence, joining the backpack she’d thrown over beforehand. Slinging it over her shoulder she continued walking through the woods, ignoring the large signs posted along the fence reading “NO ENTRY”.

Nuh uh. Nope. She wasn’t going to let some silly (if not slightly ominous) signs send her away! Not when she was _so close!_

Holding a map in one hand and a compass in another, Mabel frowned as she tried to make sense of where she was going. Urgh, this would be so much simpler if her phone had signal out here! But of course the damn co-ordinates had to lead to somewhere in the middle of nowhere, miles upon miles from any form of civilization. It had taken her three bus rides and an hour walk to make it even this far and she still wasn’t done.

The teen wasn’t sure how long she trekked through the woods before she began to tire. Mabel considered herself a pretty athletic girl, she was part of various sports teams and had a history of picking her pet pig Waddles up to give a hug and smooch – a fact which was impressive when he kept on growing and was currently weighing in at over 140lbs.

Yeah, she was definitely fighting fit.

So, she must have been walking a god damn while for even _her_ to tire out and call for a break as she slumped in the grass with a groan.

“Foooood...”

One hand went into her backpack, pulling out a candy bar which she happily chewed on as she pushed herself up from the ground and observed her surroundings. Yup, a whole lot of forest. Apparently this area was known for its legends of having people enter it to never return again, go figure.  

Which made made sense considering that was kinda why she was here to begin with.

Pulling out the letter from her backpack, Mabel’s eyes skimmed over it for what must have been the hundredth time. The paper was worn and torn even though it was only a few weeks old but this didn’t deter her from turning it over and over as if something new would jump out at her from it.

But there was nothing. Just the same four words written in plain English:

“CoME fInD yoUR BroTHeR.”

Below were two strings of numbers which turned out to be co-ordinates, leading her to… well, wherever she was going to end up from this hike. Google Maps just showed a whole bunch of forest – or, okay, “spooky forest” because let’s not forget this place was apparently “haunted” and liked to kidnap people away.

Her brother being one of them.

Mabel’s grip on the paper tightened causing further creases to appear. It had been six years since she’d last heard or seen from her twin brother Dipper Pines. No letters. No phone calls. No nothing.

He’d just… vanished one day.

But she hadn’t given up. She knew her brother more than anybody else and if he was dead she would have _felt_ it. And she hadn’t. So therefore, he must be alive – simple!

This slightly (correction: very) creepy letter confirmed it.

She had all of summer vacation left before college started up and she didn’t intend on going back without her bro-bro.

With this in mind Mabel got back up and kept on walking despite the protest from her legs. No time for rest. Gotta find Dipper. Gotta save the day.

Nothing was going to stop the Mabel train!

 

. . . . . . .

 

The Mabel train had been stopped.

“Urghhhhhhhhhhh… I’m soooooo hungryyyyyy…”

She held her backup upside down but only crumbs fell out and she let out a grieving moan as she laid face-down on the ground. She’d eaten everything. Every last morsel. She’d forgotten how much she ate when stressed and the pile of candy bars and snacks in her bag had lasted her six hours.

She was hungry.

She was tired.

She was hungry – had she repeated that already?

“Dipper...”

Rolling onto her back, Mabel stared up at the clouds in the sky as she gave a sigh. She’d been walking for so many hours and everything still looked the same. She could have sworn she’d passed the same tree stump six times now-!

It would have been okay if she’d made some friendly wilderness buddies but so far the only creature she’d had a run in was some squawking woodpecker that tried to run off with her bag full of food and pecked her on the head in anger when she dared to refuse. Not the first time she’d punched a bird in the face and not the last.

Even the clouds were beginning to look like food. Like there, that looked like a slice of pizza! And- oh- that one was a giant deluxe chocolate bar- oh my gosh there was even starmix dip!! And, oh, huh, that one sort of looked like a girls face staring down at her and-

Oh.

“AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

Releasing a yell, the brunette jumped up and scrambled backwards from the girl who had just appeared out of nowhere.

“Wha- you- where did- you’re-" She pointed a finger to the new arrival with wide eyes full of alarm before suddenly blinking. “…Oh my god you have an animal on your shoulder that is so _cool_. You’re like a Disney princess- _are_ you a princess? Are there seven dwarves waiting around here somewhere out of sight?”

The new girl paused at Mabel's abrupt change in mood and onslaught of questions before peering down at the iguana upon her shoulder. “Oh, she isn’t mine. She belongs to Grenda.”

“Grenda?”

“That’s me.” A deep voice interrupted from directly behind Mabel, causing the girl to jump in the air before turning around. Tilting her head back to stare up at the new arrival, Mabel then peered between the two girls in surprise. Huh. Oh well. She stuck a hand out.

“Hey, I’m Mabel! Nice to meet you.” Always be polite and introduce yourself. Even to random girls in the middle of the forest.

Grenda took it and Mabel hid a wince at her strong grip – now there was a firm handshake! “I’m Grenda. This is Candy.” She pointed to the shorter girl. “And this is Belladonna.” A point towards the iguana.

Mabel grinned. “Wow... I don’t say this to every person I meet in the middle of creepy woods but you guys seem cool.”

Candy blinked. “Co… ol?”

Mabel nodded. “Yeah! I mean…. Pfft, cm’on isn’t it obvious? Look at lucky me hanging out with the cool kids. Man, I wish you guys went to my school. We could have had the best gang!”

The two girls remained silent, exchanging silent glances which caused the brunette’s smile to slip off her face somewhat. They seemed… surprised?

“I… uh… I-I can’t do this!” Grenda suddenly exclaimed, startling Mabel who took a step back. Candy shot the brunette a quick look before placing a hand on Grenda’s shoulder and ushering her a few feet away with their backs towards Mabel.

_“She called us cool, Candy. Nobody’s ever called us that before and actually meant it!”_

_“I know that but if we do not do as he says then we will be… you know.”_

_“…I know.”_

Grenda took the iguana off Candy’s shoulder, holding the lizard against her chest as she gave her a gentle stroke. Mabel stared at the scene completely confused as to what was happening right now. Middle of the forest with two strangers who were whispering suspiciously.

…Should she be worried right now?

“You said your name was Mabel, right?”

“Huh?” Mabel tuned back in to find Candy gazing at her as Grenda stood behind holding Belladonna and whispering soothingly to her. “Um... Yeah, that’s my name don’t ware it out! Hahaha.” She forced a toothy smile.

“It is getting quite dark out. It would be dangerous to be out here at night so why don’t you follow me and Grenda back to our town? It is only a short distance from here.”

Mabel quirked an eyebrow. “Really? I thought there wasn’t anything around for miles. Even the map says-"

 ** _“Themapiswrong.”_** Candy cut in quickly, cheeks red and eyes flitting side to side nervously.

“…Uh.” Mabel looked between the two. “Oookay.” A pause. It _was_ getting pretty dark and a town sounded a much better alternative to camping out in the middle of nowhere. “Okay, yeah! Lead the way, friends!”

“Friends…” Grenda whispered, exchanging a wide-eyed look with Candy. Were those…  _tears_ …?

 ** _“Letusgo.”_** Candy said in a rush once again as she turned and lead the way. Mabel hesitated for only a moment before following after them. Okay. Picked up two kinda weird friends. That was fine. She was weird too. She did weird.

Weird was good.

 

. . . . . . .

 

Okay this was weird even by her standards.

One moment there was just forest and then there was suddenly an entire town in the middle of the woods that appeared out of nowhere. Not just a small village or anything like that – an entire town! And it was as if it was completely abandoned too. Besides the three of them – four including Belladonna – it was like a ghost town. Since passing through the town gates labelled ‘Gravity Falls’ she hadn’t seen a single other person.

Coming to a slow stop besides what had once been a diner, Mabel peered through the window. There was a half-empty cup of coffee on one of the diner tables. It really was as if everyone had just gotten up and left abruptly.

She didn’t like this. “Uh… guys?” Mabel turned back around to face them. “Where is every-" They were gone. “-body.”

“...” She looked in all directions. “Guys? Hellooooo? Where did you two go?” Walking around, Mabel couldn’t see any sign of them, it was as if they’d never been there to begin with and- oh god, had she been talking with ghosts? Was this actually a ghost town!? 

Passing by an empty shop window, Mabel caught sight of her reflection and noted how exhausted she look. It didn’t help that the sun was almost completely gone too. Taking out the letter once again Mabel looked down at the paper and the words upon it.

“Come on bro… where are you?”

Eyebrows drawn together and face tense as the paper crinkled in her tight grip, Mabel caught on to the sound of approaching footsteps from behind. Before she could turn around, a mocking voice reached her ears.

_“Well, well, well…”_

Mabel froze, raising her head and catching sight of a dark ominous figure with predatory eyes approaching her from behind in the window reflection. As it grinned, she spun around…

…only to find an elegantly suited young man stood watching her. Wait, what? Mabel blinked, gawking at the blond man as he stood staring at her. She went to look back at the window reflection again only for him to speak once more-

“What do we have here, then?” he asked, amber eyes gazing down at her in amusement. His voice sounded smug, as if he was in on some sort of inside joke. Mabel gaped at the stranger, unsure how to respond. It didn’t help this guy was somewhat- okay, **_very_** attractive. (She was a simple teenage girl who couldn’t be blamed for her hormones!)

The man took her lack of response as an opportunity to speak on, leaning forward against the cane in his hands. “You look lost.”

Mabel made a conscious effort to close her mouth and _not_ ogle him like a dopey thirteen year old. Instead, she laughed nervously, fighting down the blush upon her face as she shot him some finger-guns. “Hahaha, lost in your eyes, maybe.”

No, Mabel! Bad Mabel! Now is not the time to be flirting with men no matter how handsome they are!!

He arched an eyebrow at her response before chuckling, and soon that chuckling turned into full blown laughter as he held a hand over his face. Her cheeks heated further at his reaction, shifting her weight from one foot to the other anxiously.

"Um..."

Suddenly he cut off, snapping his head back down to grace her with a toothy smile. "You're hilarious."

"Oh, r-really? Haha, thanks, I'll take that as a compliment!" she laughed again, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well then, shall I give you a tour?" He gestured one arm out towards the town around them.

“Huh? Oh, um-" She was just about to agree since _hello,_ a hot stranger was asking her out – why wouldn’t she say yes? But then Mabel noted the paper still in her hands and the original reason for her coming here. She didn’t have time to be messing around. So, with a heavy heart the brunette sobered up and gave a placating smile. “That’s… super nice of you but I can’t. I’m actually here looking for someone.”

“Oh reaaally?” Drawing out the word, he cocked an eyebrow as he turned around and automatically Mabel fell into step with him as they began to walk.

“Yeah!” She held up the paper in her hands towards him. “I received this weird note a few weeks ago telling me to come here. It’s about my brother Dipper – or, okay, that’s not his _real_ name but he only goes by that so it’d be weird for him to be known as anything else. He’s my twin so he looks kind of like me only I’m older by five minutes.” A fact he hated her pointing out.

The stranger watched her from the corner of his eye as he paced down the empty streets, his lips quirked upward slightly. “Is that so?”

She gave an eager nod, speaking at full throttle. “He went missing years ago and I know he’s still alive but I just can’t find him. This note is the first thing in forever to act as a clue as to where he could be and I think he might be in this town! What do you think, Mister?”

“Hm.” Not appearing as psyched up about her quest as herself, the blond slowly came to a stop in the middle of a crossroads. She would have been worried about car traffic except there wasn’t a single car in sight. Folding his arms, the man studied her for a moment before asking, “why don’t we talk about this more in my parlor?”

“Your what?”

Raising his head, he lifted his arm and directed his cane to point behind her. Mabel turned herself around, following the aim of the cane until she found herself staring at a large manor seated upon an elevated hill on the edge of town, a winding pathway leading up towards its gates.

“Whoah…” Mabel was star-struck for only a moment before she shook her head. “Wait- no, focus! I don’t have time for that. If you live here, can you just tell me if you’ve seen anyone who could be Dipper? If not, I need to consider searching elsewhere around here.” Mabel pursed her lips as she gave the man a stern gaze. This was a serious matter!

Undeterred by her words he continued to smile, the expression appearing less endearing now. “Oh?” His eyes twinkled and honestly, he was starting to get on her nerves now, handsome or not.

Planting her hands on both hips, Mabel tapped her foot and huffed. “Yes! Are you going to help me or not?”

He chuckled, and when he spoke again his voice had lost its earlier warm tone. “Hahaha... Oh man, all you humans really are alike in ignorance. You seem to be under the naïve notion that you can actually leave this town.”

She glared at him for a moment longer before his words registered and her expression faltered, hesitantly dropping her arms. “Huh?”

He gave a toothy grin, leaning down to hover over her form as she anxiously took a step back. He sneered at her. “You stupid brat.” Mabel’s face flushed in indignation and anger. “The moment you stepped through the gates, you were trapped here. Don’t you get it? This is **_my_** town and domain. A kid like you could never comprehend the power I hold.”

“O-Oh yeah?” Brave face Mabel, don’t show fear! Clearly she was dealing with some disillusioned asshole with a superiority complex! “What are you going to do, stop me? I have a green belt in judo, just try me!” She held her hands out in front of her defensively, glaring.

Undeterred by her fighting stance, he straightened up, shooting her a malicious grin. “I don’t need to.”

Shadows stretched over his face as the sun gave its final shine of light before vanishing beneath the horizon. Darkness descended upon the both of them and in that same moment, Mabel could only watch with wide eyes as the man before her began to transform into some dark, eldritch horror. Mabel flinched at every crack and crunch that accompanied the twist of limbs and body altering into something inhuman. Additional limbs sprouted from his torso, blue flames roaring into existence along the length of his shoulders and limbs. Mabel found herself frozen to the spot as three glowing eyes leered down at her.

At her terrified expression he laughed, rows and rows of teeth flashing in her vision. She wasn’t quite sure whether she fainted or was knocked out first but regardless, a different kind of darkness enveloped her as her head hit the ground.

**“Sweet dreams, Shooting Star.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beauty meets the Beast.
> 
> First chapter, done! How was it? Bill was playing nice in this chapter for the most part, we’ll see his real asshole persona next time. 
> 
> **Music used for inspiration writing this chapter:**  
>  Jim Dooley - Mystic Tryst  
> Ruelle - Bad Dream


	2. We Have a Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments, they mean a lot to me and all feedback is greatly appreciated!
> 
> I’ve broken up what was originally meant to be Chapter 2 into two chapters since it was too long. So my estimation of this story being 17 chapters may indeed end up amiss. As it currently stands, I would estimate this story being 17-20 chapters. We’ll see.

Mabel groaned as she awoke, mumbling something about “five more minutes” as she turned over in bed and ignored her mother insistently tugging at her bedsheets. Unfortunately, her request went ignored and in the next moment the heavy duvet was ripped away, exposing her to the cold.

“Noooo…” she whined, huddling into a ball to try and preserve warmth. “Two more- aghck!” She cut off with a strangled yell as her hair was suddenly yanked backwards hard by something. Pulling herself free from whatever it was, Mabel quickly bolted upright and turned around to find herself face to face with a-

“A crow…?”

Unusually, the crow was a pure white colour. An albino? What was perhaps more disconcerting was the fact it was stood on the edge of the bed, tilting its head to the side as it regarded her with a pair of red beady eyes. Some threads of brown hair were still trapped within its beak causing Mabel to send it a glare.

“Stupid birdy, shoo!” Sending her hands out, the bird flew off to the other side of the room before landing on the window sill and it was then that Mabel finally took note of her surroundings. She… wasn’t in her bedroom. There was a severe lack of bright neon posters and stickers adorning the walls for this room to belong to her and not to mention the bed was far too large and luxurious to be hers – it was so big she could probably fit five of her in it! This room looked more like something she’d expect to see in some 18th century period drama on television.

Moving off the bed, she shivered as her bare feet touched the cold wooden floorboards. A quick glance around showed her shoes and socks seated on an ornate chair beside a vanity. Mabel quickly grabbed and placed them on, noting absently that she was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. As she glanced briefly at her reflection in the mirror, she ran a hand through her hair to try and calm down her bed-head. Examining herself, her eyes passed by the starry design of her sweater-

**_“Sweet dreams, Shooting Star.”_ **

She froze. Mabel stared at herself in the mirror, the memory of the mocking voice reverberating through her mind as she suddenly recalled everything from yesterday. Her journey to here, her walk through the woods, meeting Candy and Grenda and then-

-then the blond haired stranger.

Grimacing at the final memories, she could only assume that must have been her imagination. People didn’t transform into huge shadowy monsters outside of TV shows. It just didn’t happen. Nuh uh. Nope.

The crow seated upon the window released an abrupt squawk that made her jump, and she shot it a wary look before turning around. One thing she couldn’t remember however was how she’d ended up in this room with outdated antique furniture.

Just where the hell was she?

Approaching the door and turning the knob, the teen slowly peeked out and looked in both directions of a dimly lit corridor. Finding the coast to be clear, she stepped out and hugged herself as she walked past extravagant portrait paintings and candle-lit lanterns placed upon the walls. This place was freezing. She kinda wished she’d brought the bed blankets along with her now. Wandering through twisted hallways, it was like some sort of indoor labyrinth.

Peering outside the windows showed her an extravagant garden surrounding the building boxed within stone walls. It was clear the garden had once been overflowing with blooming flowers and trees, but it didn’t seem to have been in loving care recently. The foliage looked either wilting or dead. Beyond that, Mabel could make out the town in the distance. From that she knew enough to realise she must be in the manor atop the hill.

Most of the doors she tried were locked, with only a handful opening for her but even then they usually only lead into some dusty abandoned room filled with discarded furniture and items or even another hallway bizarrely. She’d opened one door to just find another door painted upon the wall. This place was weird.

As she paced down another corridor, she pressed a hand over her stomach as it groaned in protest. She was hungry. She hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. Or, she assumed it was yesterday. She didn’t think she’d been asleep for longer than a day.

As if on cue, the smell of something delicious suddenly reached her nose, tantalising and tempting as it called to her stomach. Mabel didn’t even hesitate in following it through the hallways, coming across a small flight of stone steps that she almost missed before walking down them. They lead her out into a wide spaced room with a low ceiling, the air somehow warmer down here. A counter ran along the entire length of the room, pots and pans hanging from hooks and a small fire roaring in a hearth at the far wall. Pacing through the room which was obviously a kitchen of some sort, Mabel examined the fire to see a small pot hanging over it and bubbling. This was what had called to her.

There was a wooden spoon already in the pot so Mabel stirred the bubbling broth before raising it up to her lips. Blowing on it a few times, she then took a sip and sighed happily.

“Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.”

A gasp.

Mabel snapped to attention, the spoon clattering to the floor as she turned to find a young man stood there holding various vegetables in his arms as he stared at her in surprise. He was so tall he had to hunch over slightly so his head didn't hit the low ceiling. 

“Um… hi?” she offered, giving a weak wave.

“Oh gee,” he began, “you’re not meant to be awake yet, I was meant to bring all this up to you!”

The man looked so alarmed and nervous that Mabel couldn’t help but was to reassure him. “Oh hey that’s alright, I can just have breakfast down here.” But he had dropped the vegetables on a table and was already rushing forward towards her. Mabel had a moment of panic that he was coming right for her and was going to send her flying before he veered around her at the last moment. Turning, she watched as he leaned over towards the pot that was now beginning to bubble over the lid and slop over the sides. He went to grab the handle of the pot-

“Wait, it’ll be-"

He picked up the pot with ease and carried it over to the nearby counter.

“…hot.”

Mabel blinked, staring in confusion when he didn’t seem perturbed by the heat from the metal handle. Using his arm to rub away the beads of sweat dotting his forehead, the man noted her staring and offered a sweaty hand. “Hey, the name’s Soos.”

Mabel paused before accepting his hand, forcing a polite smile. “Mabel.”

“Maple, huh?”

“No, Mabel.”

“Able?”

“Ma. Bel. Mabel!”

When he just scratched his head, Mabel couldn’t help but smile genuinely. He seemed nice. She watched as he grabbed a bowl from a shelf, picking up the wooden spoon from the floor and using it to transfer broth from the pot to the bowl. (A bit unhygienic but eh, Mabel didn’t care).

“So. Soos, where am-"

“Nope, sorry, under strict orders to not say nuthin'!”

“What?”

He looked her way before chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I like you Maple-“

“Mabel.”

“-but I was just told to make some food for ya. I mean, he'll be coming to talk to you any minute and hoo boy, I do not want to get on the wrong side of him.”

Mabel frowned, eyebrows drawing together as he placed the bowl in her hands. “Who’s coming?”

“Me.”

Both of them snapped their heads across the room. Heart lurching into her throat, Mabel found herself staring at the very same man from yesterday stood at the foot of the stone steps. Recalling her last memories before she passed out, Mabel couldn’t help but eye him warily. He seemed amused by that as he laughed.

“Hey now, what’s with the daggers? Is that any way to look at the person who brought you all the way here and gave you a bed and breakfast? I could have quite easily left you to remain in the middle of the road. Geez, you mortals sure are ungrateful.”

Mabel frowned. She supposed she _should_ be thankful but… “How did I pass out?” And, wait- _"Mortals?"_

His lips stretched into a smile as he took a forward. Mabel noted that the only means of escape from the kitchen were the stone steps and a wooden door, both of which were conveniently behind him. She was trapped. “Overexcitement, perhaps? Fear? Shock? Humans have all sorts of varying reactions when they see my real form for the first time since the truth staring them in the face is too much for their puny minds to handle. Take ol’ Question Mark here, he threw up!”

Mabel turned her head to look at Soos who was currently looking anywhere _but_ at them.

“Hey Chubbs, why don’t you get lost? I’ve got some business to do and your stupid face is distracting me!” 

Soos flinched and Mabel shot him a dark look for his mean comment. "Hey!" Before she could say anything further however, Soos beat her to it. 

“Y-Yes sir, Mister Cipher sir!” Moving surprisingly fast, Soos quickly bolted towards the wooden door and shot out of it. Mabel caught a brief sight of the outdoors before it was slammed shut.

…Leaving her alone with “Mister Cipher”.

He grinned when he noted how much she tensed. She swallowed, determined not to show fear as she rolled her shoulders and held her head high.

“What do you want?”

“I want a lot of things,” he replied, beginning to circle around the large table towards her, “and being me I get all the things I want! It’s great!” Not wishing to be near him, Mabel hastily began backing up and walking around towards the other end, the pair circling the piece of furniture.

He smirked at her action but at least now she was on the side of the room near the door. She briefly glanced towards it as she calculated how fast she could run there-

“Thinking of running so soon?” he interrupted, “but we’re just getting to know one another, Mabel!”

Her attention shot back to him. “How… How do you know my name?”

“I know a _lot_ of things,” he replied, “I’m Bill Cipher, omnipotent and all-powerful demon. I’m present in all of history in all countries, if you know what to look for you can’t miss me!”

“I don’t care what the hell you are!” she snapped, even if the notion of a demon did send a shiver down her spine. Jabbing a finger in his direction, she glared, “you’re a meanie and so is your bird!”

Bill actually looked affronted at that. “Hey now, don’t bring William into this-!”

“And I’m leaving!” Sticking her tongue out at him, she turned on her heel to leave only to slam into a wall. Stumbling backwards, she raised her head only to suck in a sharp breath at the sight of the 'wall' stood before her. Her head snapped across the room to where Bill had been stood barely a second ago before looking back up to him, a sense of trepidation passing over her face. How had he...?

“Really? You’re going?” he asked, cocking one eyebrow as he tilted his head to the side. “But I thought you wanted to find your brother.”

Her blood ran cold at that, heart skipping a beat. “Dipper…” 

He watched her reaction with mirth in his eyes, retracting one hand from the top of his cane as he reached behind him. Mabel’s eyes followed his actions, staring with intensity as he pulled something out and-

Her breath halted.

Bill threw the item forward, Mabel raising her hands to catch it before staring down at the hat with wide eyes. It was old and torn, and had patches of mud on it but there was no mistake.

It was Dipper’s hat.

She held it tightly against her chest, raising her head after a moment to meet his calculated gaze. Fighting to keep her voice steady, she swallowed before asking, “Where… Where is he…?”

He stared back at her neutrally, both hands grasping his cane tightly before he spoke. “He’s alive.” Her heart soared, she knew it, she knew he was alive!

_“Buuuut…”_

The hope in her chest faltered beneath his growing smile. He leaned down to meet her gaze so they were eye level. “If you want Pine Tree back, you’ve got to give me something in exchange.”

The warmth in her chest had turned cold, an icy chill sweeping over her body as she stood before this man. He had Dipper. This hat was proof of that. It even had the same faint pink mark on the back from where she’d spilled nail polish once and Dipper had tried to wash it out.

So, she knew without an ounce of doubt that this man had Dipper.

Swallowing thickly, she met his eyes with determination. “What is it…?”

His lips stretched further as he straightened up, smile triumphant as if he knew she was already going to agree. And he was right. If it was for her brother, she would do anything.

“On the night of the next new moon I’ll be hosting a little… event, shall we say.” Her eyes narrowed at his vague words. “When that night comes you will willingly hand over your soul-"

“Wha-!”

“And until such time you will remain here," he added, ignoring her interruption. "Any attempts at escape will result in your brother suffering the consequences.”

Mabel gaped at him as he ever so casually discussed the fate of her soul like he was discussing the weather. He was a demon. He’d claimed as such and she’d seen the proof in his nightmarish form last night as well as his ability to move quicker than humanly possible.

The idea of handing her soul over to a demon terrified her. What would happen to her? What would he do? Would it hurt?

She gripped the cap tightly, knuckles turning white. Even with all the questions bouncing within her head she already knew she was going to agree anyways. He could tell her it would be the most painful experience for all of eternity and she’d still say yes. If it meant Dipper being free, she’d do anything.

“Will I… get to meet him?”

“Hm?”

“Dipper. Can I meet him before my soul is handed over?”

“Oh that. Yeah, sure, you can go find him in town. It isn’t like I’ve had him jailed up for six years!”

“B-But you said you had him-“

“And I do. This entire town is my domain, remember?” His eyes flashed dangerously. “Nobody enters or leaves it without my consent.”

Mabel swallowed.

“So… what do you say?”

Mabel chewed her lower lip, looking down once more at the cap in her hands as she brushed a thumb over the tree logo. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath before raising her head and meeting his gaze.

“It’s a deal.”

\- - -

 

Bill Cipher took the last step down into the basement, walking through the stone paved corridor with a skip in his gait as he whistled jovially. The only light down here came from the flickering of flames from the torches upon the walls. Upon approaching the final wooden door at the end of the hallway, he waved his hand and the door unlocked with ease allowing him entry. The inside of the room was tiny, with nothing in the way of furniture or light. Bill stepped forward and tapped his cane once, a small flame flickering to life that hovered a few inches above the handle of his cane. The new light illuminated the figure chained to the wall in the corner.

“Well, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

The figure raised a head, glowering up at him with pure hatred. “Bill…” he seethed.

The man in question grinned. “Having fun down here, Pine Tree? I couldn’t have you interfering before me and Shooting Star sorted out some specifics, so you needed a _little_ time out.” He hadn’t been lying when he denied her brother being chained up for six years. Because he hadn’t. It had just been the last 48 hours. See? He hadn't lied! He never lied. He just occasionally omitted the truth.

The boy continued to glare at him. Oh, if looks could kill. He and Mabel were certainly related, they had the same fire in their eyes.

“Now, now, cheer up! Your dear sister came all this way just for you specially.” An image surfaced within the flame hovering above his cane, the image of the young girl manifesting as she walked down the pathway from the manor leading into town.

The boy – Dipper’s – face faltered at the sight of his sister before darkening and sending a venomous glare Bill’s way. He looked more demonic that Bill himself in that moment. _“Don’t you dare touch her!”_

Bill sighed at the predictive response, the image of Mabel vanishing from the flame as he waved a hand towards the chains holding Dipper prisoner. After a moment they loosened and relinquished their hold on the boy. He flinched in surprise at this, looking at his now free hands in surprise.

“There, you’re now free to leave the manor and reunite with your dear sister. Aren’t I nice?” He turned away, walking towards the door before he peered back with a leery grin. “Although, whether Shooting Star will still want to see you when she finds out the monster you've become...”

Dipper’s expression became torn at the fact, hands fisting in his lap as he lowered his head without a response. Bill released a mocking laugh as he left the boy and walked away, eyes gleeful.

Finally, after all this time, he was going to succeed.

His soul would be free.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven’t figured it out already this story is rather wordy and plot heavy and will include a large ensemble of background characters. No quick, simple romance here. 
> 
> **Music used for inspiration writing this chapter:**  
>  Hiroyuki Sawano - Harie Nui's Theme (aka Bill)  
> Whisper - Burn the Ballroom  
> The Devil's Carnival - Trust Me


	3. Nightfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for no update last week, I was ill. 
> 
> You can check my profile or tumblr (link in profile) to keep updated about any delays on my stories if needed.

Bill had vanished soon after their meeting and Mabel had left through the side door – though not before grabbing the bowl of broth and slurping it down hungrily. It hadn’t been amazing but it had been enough to quieten the loud pangs of her stomach.

Walking down the winding pathway that lead from the manor and into town, Mabel raised her head at the sound of squawking to find a white crow staring at her from a nearby tree branch. She had no proof it was the same crow from before but the likelihood of their being two albino crows in the same location seemed doubtful so she cast it a wary glance before quickening her pace. 

As she neared the town she soon noted something was different.

There were others.

It was as if the town had suddenly sprouted to life, with people walking down the streets and chattering from within the coffee shop. She even spied a man idly watering garden plants and another riding a skateboard.

Mabel stood flabbergasted by this for several seconds before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. The teen glanced briefly behind her towards the manor in the distance before walking down the street, wishing to put as much space between her and the demon as possible. She needed a plan of action. She knew Bill had Dipper, the hat she’d placed on her own head proved that. Apparently she couldn’t leave (though she had no intention to do so anyway) and there’d been some mention of the new moon which was two weeks from now.

So, her first plan of action was to find Dipper, right? She glanced around before spotting a dark-haired young man walking along the pavement, hands shoved into his hoodie pocket and a frown planted on his face. Rushing forward, she leapt in front of him with an award winning smile.

"Hi!"

"Argh!" Jumping back in surprise he gave her a startled look.

"I'm Mabel," she greeted. "I don't suppose you've seen my brother? He has brown hair, looks kinda scrawny and wears this hat." She tapped the cap atop her head. 

The man stared at her with wide-eyes before taking a few steps back. 

Mabel's smile slipped off. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you're going to vomit. I know because that's how I look after eating an entire jar of gummy worms." She reached out towards the stranger only for him to slap her arm away.

"St-Stay away from me you weirdo!!" he yelled before turning on his heel and running away.

Mabel was left standing alone on the street, frowning in confusion at his reaction. It wasn't like she hadn't had people call her 'weird' before but usually it was after she'd actually done something bizarre and not just from her saying hello.

What was with that guy?

“M-Mabel!”

The girls train of thought came to an abrupt halt at the sound of her name, turning around to find two familiar faces staring at her from across the road. Candy and Grenda.

The pair of girls stared at her in disbelief before guilt engulfed both their faces and Candy hurried across the road towards Mabel. “Mabel, we are very sorry, please accept our utmost apology!”

“Yeah, w-we didn’t want to trick you!” Grenda added in, appearing beside Candy as both stared at her with imploring gazes.

“Trick me?” Mabel repeated.

Candy nodded, averting her gaze. “We... We were forced to lead you into the town when you were close enough. He made us do it.”

“He? You mean Bill?”

Both girls froze at the mention of his name, looking fearful. Grenda gave an audible gulp and in the end Candy agreed with a jerky nod.

Mabel soaked in this piece of information before leaning forward and lowering her voice, recalling something the demon had said earlier and wishing to confirm it. “Hey, is it true? Does he really control this entire town?”

Candy and Grenda exchanged glances before nodding again. Mabel felt a heavy weight settle in her stomach at this information. That meant she shouldn’t rely on anybody else here to help her if they were all under his influence. She returned her attention to the two girls before her. But... then again, these two didn’t look mean or like some demons evil henchmen. They looked guilty and sad. Mabel’s heart reached out for them.

“It’s… okay,” she began, offering a small smile. "If you were forced to do it then it’s not your fault. Consider it water under the bridge, okay friends?”

“F-Friends?” Grenda asked, eyes wide and watery.

“Yeah!” Mabel grinned, before it faded slightly. “Um, is that alright?”

The two girls looked at one another once more before they both burst into tears and leapt forward to embrace her. Mabel couldn’t help but let out a small ‘oof’ as she was enveloped in two strong muscular arms and lifted several inches off the floor by Grenda’s arms, Candy meanwhile clinging to one of her legs like some koala bear.

After a moment the surprise on her face faded into another smile as she laughed slightly. “Cm’on guys…” Even if Bill did control this entire town as some form of weird supernatural entity, she was determined not to stand down. If there was one thing Mabel was not, it was a quitter. This was the girl who had eaten two hundred and fifty gummy bears in under an hour just because a guy at school said she couldn't. 

(Sure, she may have puked afterwards but her champion title remained).

“Hey! What are you dorks doing?”

The trio all turned their heads in unison as another girl approached them from across the street, striding forward with a head held high and a look of distaste across her face. 

“Uh oh,” Candy whispered before both she and Grenda hastily released Mabel, allowing her to drop to the floor. She stumbled slightly before twisting around to face the newcomer.

“Jeez, I’ve been looking for you everywhere these past few days!” The girl snapped, attention on Mabel as she reached out to grab her arm. “Where the hell have you been?”

Mabel stared back dumbly. "Um...."

The girl glared before finally taking in her face and blinking, irritation replaced with confusion as her eyes briefly flickered a few inches higher before returning down to her face. Releasing her arm, the blonde took a slow step back. “Wha… who are  _you?”_

“This is Mabel,” Grenda supplied, gesturing to the girl in question who was rather confused right now.

“Mabel…?” The girl repeated. Then, as if realisation had sunk in, her eyes widened and she took another two steps back and pointed. “Wait, you’re  _that_ Mabel? Why are you…” Her lips pursed together suddenly, looking annoyed.

“Um, yeah that’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Mabel forced a light-hearted grin, trying to lighten the situation. "Hahaha, I am so confused right now..."

“Do you need something, Pacifica?” Candy asked, tapping her hands together nervously

The girl opened her mouth to speak before a nearby white crow squawked, causing all four to jump. Pacifica glanced briefly at the bird with a concerned look before spinning on her heel and flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Follow me.”

 

\- - -

 

Bill cackled aloud in glee as the man yelled in agony before him, his sounds of suffering like music to his ears. Holding his arm out, bolts of electricity surged from his hand and encompassed the man in further pain. The demon allowed this to continue for several prolonged seconds before finally dropping his hand and allowing the man a brief respite. The victim's chest raised with each ragged breath as his head dropped forward, continuing to hang limply from the large ornate crucifix he was affixed to. Bill took a step forward towards his prisoner, tapping his cane two times against the stone flooring. Several circles with ancient symbols and ruins had been drawn atop the ground circling the crucifix and at his cane's actions they lit up, allowing him to freely walk over their engravings and stand directly beneath his favourite victim.

“Well, Sixer?” he goaded, standing tall and proud as he stared up at the man, “I finally have the pure soul. It’s over. I won.”

The man didn’t reply, he only breathed laboriously as he attempted to catch his breath following his torture.

“It’s kinda ironic, don’tcha think?” Bill asked, using his cane as a weight to lean against. "I mean, when I was created I was spared because you and your stupid twin loved each other so much. And now, at what was intended to be my end I'll once again be guaranteed safety because of another brat's foolish love for her twin brother! Hahaha, you mortals are so stupid with your sibling bonds!” 

"Y..."

Laughter cutting off, Bill cocked his head as he peered up at Sixer. "Hm? Ya say something? You'll have to speak louder!"

The man grit his teeth before raising his head a fraction so he could glare down at him. "You... won't... get away... with this."

Bill let out a bark of laughter. "Hah! I already have, old man!" Expression relaxing, his face twisted into a dark smile. "Checkmate, Stanford."

Nobody could get in his way now.

 

\- - -

 

"Oi, you're in the way."

Mabel turned her head to find Pacifica stood glowering at her and tapping a foot impatiently. "Oh, sorry!" She moved aside from the doorway and allowed the taller girl to brush past and lead their small group further into the diner she'd brought them to. Mabel couldn't help getting caught in a daze and examining her surroundings however since yesterday this place had looked completely abandoned.

"Where were all these people yesterday...?" she wondered aloud as she followed Pacifica to a table near the window. She ended up seated beside Grenda and opposite Pacifica.

"Hiding. We were ordered to," Grenda replied gravely.

Before Mabel could question this tid-bit, the waitress appeared at their table with a notepad. Her nametag read 'Susan'. "What will it be, girls?"

"We don't need anything," Pacifica cut in dismissively. 

"Um... I wouldn't mind a cup of tea actually..." Candy amended, flushing when the blonde shot her a look.

Grenda slammed her fists on the table, causing it to rock. "I want a mango smoothie!" 

"Alright." Susan noted their orders down. "And what about you, um..." She trailed off as she looked towards Mabel, her smile looking strained.

Mabel blinked before looking sheepish. "Oh, uh, I don't have much money on me..." She'd used almost everything on bus fares getting out here.

Pacifica snorted. "We don't use money here."

"You... don't?" Mabel raised an eyebrow and looked towards Susan for confirmation however the waitress quickly dropped her gaze down to look at her notepad instead.

"Urgh, just bring us both lattes!" Pacifica snapped in irritation, throwing her arms in the air.

"Okay! Coming right up, girls." Looking relieved to be leaving, Susan left the table without even glancing back. Mabel frowned at her behaviour before her eyes scanned over the entire room, noting that it wasn't just Susan acting odd. Every single person kept glancing at her out of the corner of their eyes with curiosity and wariness. Mabel wasn't an insecure person but even she was starting to feel self-conscious. 

It wasn't helped when she looked forward to find Pacifica also watching her with folded arms, gaze critical. “…So,” she began, voice sharp. "You’re Dipper’s sister.”

Mabel tensed before nodding and leaning forward eagerly. “Yeah, do you know him? Do you know where he is?”

Pacifica leaned back in her chair when Mabel stretched herself across the table, looking wary. “I’m… acquainted with him, yes.”

“That’s one way of wording it,” Candy whispered before she and Grenda giggled. Pacifica’s face flared red as she shot them a glare and barked a “shut up”.

“Where is he?” Mabel asked, hands gripping the table surface so tightly she feared it might break under her grip. The blonde looked back at her before sighing and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I couldn’t tell you.”

“But you-“

“I’m not his babysitter!” she snapped, cheeks pink. "He has this annoying habit of going off and not telling anyone where he’s going.”

“Yeah, that sounds like ol’ Dipdot,” Mabel replied fondly, glad to hear he was okay. If this girl was familiar with him then it looked like Bill had been honest when he stated he wasn't holding him hostage. Which meant it was just a matter of finding Dipper somewhere in town. It was a small place, he couldn't be hard to find.

"Here we are!" Susan declared as she appeared once again, a tray in her hands. Placing the drinks before each girl, the woman then turned and left quickly. Mabel looked down at her cup of coffee with an eager expression as she picked it up and raised it towards lips to take a sip-

"-ack!"

Sloshing liquid onto the table as she hastily placed her cup back down, Mabel made a face at her drink. "It's cold!"

Grenda had ordered a smoothie, however Candy didn't seem phased as she sipped at her own drink before peering Mabel's way.

"Cold?" Candy repeated, blinking.

"Yeah." Mabel deflated, pouting in disappointment. "Is yours?"

Candy paused. She looked down at her own cup before then averting her eyes, cheeks pink. "I... I do not know."

"Huh?" Mabel gave an amused smile, cocking an eyebrow. "How can you not know?" Her teasing went unanswered however and as Mabel looked around the table at the girls avoiding her gaze she sensed a shift in the tone of atmosphere. "...Guys?"

“...Why did you come here?”

Mabel turned her head at the abrupt question to find Pacifica staring across at her expectantly. An obvious attempt at a change of topic but Mabel went along with it as she considered the question. Well, she'd only ended up in this town because the two other girls at the table had shown her the way. She glanced at them to voice this aloud but Candy beat her to it. 

“W-We were told you would be nearby… but not  _why_  you would be there.”

Oh. Mabel paused before responding honestly. “I came to find Dipper. I… I received a letter stating he was here so I came here searching for him.”

All three girls at the table exchanged anxious glances at this information.

“I see… a letter.” Pacifica replied. “He probably arranged that then.”

“You mean Bill?”

The moment Mabel spoke his name, it was as if silence descended upon the small diner. All background chatter stopped, as if a mute button had been abruptly pressed. It was… unsettling. As Mabel looked around she found every pair of eyes was settled upon her. Candy and Grenda had reacted similarly when she spoke his name earlier. A hand grabbed her arm tightly causing her to look back into a pair of fearful eyes.

“ ** _Don’t_** say his name.” Pacifica whispered harshly.

“But… why?”

“Wedonotsayhisname.” Candy replied in a rush, cheeks red.

"It's bad," Grenda added in a fearful whisper, hands clenched tightly in her lap.

Everyone was still staring at her.

Placing her hands upon the table Pacifica pushed herself to stand up, staring down at Mabel with cold eyes. "It's almost nightfall. You should go."

"Go? Go where?" 

"You could stay at Dipper's place," Candy suggested, twiddling her thumbs anxiously. "I-I'm sure he wouldn't mind since you're his sister." 

Grenda nodded. "Me and Candy can show you-"

"I'll take you there."

Both Candy and Grenda looked towards Pacificia in surprise.

“Um… you will?” Candy asked, looking doubtful of her offer.

“That’s what I said, right?” Pacifica shot both girls a look which caused them to shrink in their seat. “Let’s go.” Without wasting a second she turned and left the table, her drink untouched.

Mabel stared after her for a few moments before looking back towards her new friends. “Uh, I’ll see you both later, okay? Thanks for hanging out with me, you should bring Belladonna next time!” Flashing them a smile she hurried after the blonde who was already leaving through the doors. She was eager to leave behind all the eyes watching her and she was also keen to see Dipper’s place since chances are he'd probably be there too.

“Wait for me!” Catching up alongside the other girl, Mabel flashed her a grin as she fell into step beside her. “Hey, new friend.”

“Urgh, I’m not your friend. Don’t call me that.”

“Not _yet._ ”

“You’re just as annoying as your brother.”

Mabel clasped her hands behind her back. “How do you know Dipper?”

“It’s kinda hard _not_ to know everyone when there’s less than 100 people in town,” Pacifica retorted as she strode on through the streets. The shadows of buildings crept along the ground as the sun continued to set and it was hard not to notice how the moment people saw her they gave her a look of panic and rushed away in another direction or into a building.

Did she stink badly or something? She _had_ been in the same clothing for a few days. Mabel discreetly lifted her sweater and gave it a sniff. Eh, it was passable.

“Hey, are you even listening to me?”

Mabel came to a quick halt just before crashing into the girl, taking a step back to peer up and find Pacifica glaring at her once again. Uh. She offered a sheepish smile. “Haha, sorry… what were you saying?”

Pacifica looked as if she wanted to smack her. But instead she breathed out deeply with hands clenched at her sides and began walking once more, speaking. “I said… I offered to walk you to Dipper’s for a reason.”

“Because you wanna be best buddies?”

 ** _“No!”_** Pacifica scowled at her before attempting to compose herself again and speak on. They turned a corner and entered the outskirts of the town when she continued. “You said before you came to find Dipper, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You want to save him?”

“Of course.”

“...” Pacifica fell silent at that, saying nothing as she lead Mabel to the first line of trees leading to the woods. There was a small cottage positioned before them, with small wooden steps leading up towards a door. Mabel regarded it curiously, was that Dipper’s place? If so it definitely needed some flowers outside considering how drab it looked. She took a few steps towards the building before realising Pacifica wasn't following her and peered back to find the girl staring down at the grass.

"Pacifica?"

The girl turned her head to the side, hands clenched at her sides. "I don't know what you and that demon have agreed but whatever you're planning will only do Dipper more harm than good." A pause and her expression grew grave, voice serious. “Believe me when I tell you that deals with that monster only bring pain and suffering. I know that better than most.”

“What are you talking about?” 

Pacifica opened her mouth to speak before closing it, hugging herself and looking like a lost child suddenly. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. “…If there was a way for you to save Dipper, I’d help you - I owe him a lot. But there isn’t.”

“Why… Why don’t you all just leave?” Mabel asked, voice imploring. “Candy and Grenda came to me outside the town and Bill can’t be watching you  _all_  the time. If you ran far enough away, you’d be free!"

"...It’s not that we won’t leave,” Pacifica began after several tense seconds, the last traces of sun vanishing.  “It’s that we can’t.” 

Mabel flinched as a loud crunch reached her ears. Pacifica hugged herself tighter and clenched her jaw. “We sold our souls to him during our lifetimes and now…?” Pacifica added, voice already sounding different in tone, “now we’re cursed and trapped here forever.” She lowered her head so her hair covered her altering face, but not before Mabel noted tears leaking from her eyes already changing colour. The sound of snapping bones echoed through the air and Mabel stood frozen to the spot as the girl's body transformed, skin shedding and giving way to scales.

“We're demons," she whispered.

The crunching sound stopped. The sun had set. When the creature in Pacifica’s position raised its head, Mabel found herself staring into a pair of reptilian-like eyes.

“And soon you will be too.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the whole “transformation” wearing off in Beauty and the Beast and everyone turning back to normal? I decided to put my own twist on it. You’ll get more detailed descriptions of everyone’s demonic forms later since each character is different. Pacifica's is serpent-related.
> 
> I promise some MaBill interaction next chapter, look forward to it!
> 
> P.S - If you note any grammar or typos please inform me! I do try to read through my chapters multiple times but some things still slip through and can only be caught with a fresh pair of eyes.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Music used for inspiration writing this chapter:**  
>  Daniel Hunt & Bardi Johannsson - W Y R Theme  
> Cœur De Pirate - Pilgrims on a Long Journey


	4. A Pure Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the MaBill train started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for the comments and kudos!

Pacifica had fled immediately following her ominous warning. In the darkness of nightfall, Mabel had watched as the serpent-like creature with clawed limbs vanished into the woods in a hurry.

“Wait-!”

But it was too late. By the time Mabel had broken out of her shock Pacifica was already long gone.

She’d looked upset.

Mabel frowned as she thought of the sadness she’d seen echoed within the girls eyes before peering into the bathroom mirror to examine her own reflection.

She was going to become a demon...? The brunette frowned at the thought since she rather liked how she looked already. Mabel wasn’t sure if she could pull off a demonic look. Not to mention she’d gone all those years wearing braces – she didn’t want to have all that effort flushed down the toilet by receiving pointy and misaligned fangs.

Pacifica had transformed into an entirely new entity. It was only by looking into her eyes and seeing the emotions on display that Mabel had known Pacifica was still in there. Well, that and the clothes. They hadn't just disappeared though they had been pretty torn up by the end of it.

“....Urgh.” She wished she'd been able to speak with Pacifica more. The exchange had left her with few answers and more questions. With a sigh she turned and left the bathroom and returned to the main area of the cottage. The interior of the small building comprised of an adjoining bedroom and bathroom with the rest of the space devoted to one large living space that acted as both a kitchen and main sitting area. Most of the furniture and floor space was cluttered with junk though. She’d almost tripped over a stack of books twice! Seriously, Dipper never changed. 

She was worried at his absence though. Where was he right now? There was a queasy feeling in her stomach that she’d been trying to ignore since she’d discovered Bill’s identity. But no, it couldn’t be. Dipper was a smart guy. He wouldn’t make a deal with a demon.

…Right?

She headed for her brother's bedroom, having to use force to wedge the door open properly due to the surplus of items discarded on the floor inside. "Jeez, Dipper." Muttering under her breath, Mabel shoved her way in and looked at the cluttered area with exasperation. She was meant to be the messy twin! Too exhausted to even snoop properly, Mabel yanked off her socks and shoes and grabbed an oversized shirt that must have been Dipper's and threw it on. Right now was sleep time but tomorrow… Tomorrow she’d get some answers. 

With that thought in mind Mabel pushed several piles of papers off Dipper’s bed and flopped onto his mattress with a relieved sigh.

Her relief was cut short though. Whenever she closed her eyes all she could see was Pacifica’s demonic form. Mabel had been scared at first, she’d admit that. But Pacifica hadn’t tried to attack her so it was clear she still had her sense of mind even when transformed. Mabel had the feeling it was the same for all the townsfolk.

Hugging a pillow, Mabel squeezed her eyes tighter as she curled up.

She hoped Pacifica was okay.

 

\- - -

 

Pacifica breathed heavily as she pulled herself through the open window, sharp talons leaving scratches on the painted ledge before she landed inside the house with a small thud in the darkness. She landed on her tail awkwardly and let out a curse as she shifted her weight off it. Stupid thing! Slumping her back against the wall, she released a hiss of frustration as she took in a deep breath. She could still recall Mabel’s look of horror at her transformation.

“Urgh, I'm so stupid!” she groaned to herself, covering her face with both hands as she resisted the urge to bang her head against a wall. Why had she done that? Sure, she’d been annoyed at the girl for interfering and had wanted to show her the reality of things but… 

"Nngh-!" She grit her teeth together, almost cutting her tongue on the sharp fangs in the process. She wasn’t usually that impulsive. Usually she thought things through better. But somehow she always seemed to forget common logic when a Pines twin was involved.

And now there was two of them in town.

Pacifica lowered her hands down to stare at them, examining the scaled-covered skin and sharp nails with weary eyes. She was a monster.

“Hey.”

She flinched, tensing and snapping her head up to look across the room in the darkness. The silhouette of a figure stood in front of her fireplace. Recognizing his voice Pacifica quickly relaxed, shoulders slumping. She turned her head away from him however, wiping subtly at her eyes in a delicate manner so as to not accidentally scratch her eyes out. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything.

“Oh, it’s just you,” she drawled finally before folding her arms. “What do you want? I’ve just got back from babysitting your equally troublesome sister.” A pause. “She’s at your place by the way. I showed her there myself, you're welcome.”

The boy said nothing for a long moment, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other. “…Sorry about that. Thank you though, for helping her.”

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes before peering back in his direction. Her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually I was, uh, going to ask if I could stay here the night instead?"

She blinked.

“Oh. Um… yeah, I… I guess so. You can take the couch.” She was briefly glad her current appearance didn’t allow the blush to show on her face.

“Thanks.”

Standing up, she noted her clothes were torn apart again from her transformation and she lamented the fact she’d lost another outfit. As she passed through the room and headed for the stairs, she glanced back towards Dipper. “You can’t avoid her forever, you know.”

He flinched at her words and purposefully looked away.

“…Yeah,” he replied, “I know.”

 

\- - -

 

Mabel left the cottage the next morning dressed in some of Dipper’s clothes. She’d left hers to dry after washing them in the bathroom sink since after a few days they were starting to reek a little bit. To replace them she’d borrowed a flannel shirt and jeans. They were a little baggy on her but that was fine, it just meant Dipper had finally got some meat on his bones after being a scrawny little thing when they were younger. The thought of seeing an older Dipper made her smile with excitement as she entered the town. Now, where was he? She was going to go into this day fuelled with optimism and determination, and not only find her brother but answers too! 

“Maple?”

“Hm?” Mabel looked ahead to see a familiar face. “Ah, Soos!”

Hurrying forward until she came to a stop before the taller man, she grinned up at him. She had decided that morning she didn't care if this town transformed at night, it didn't change who they were on the inside and Soos was nice. So was Candy and Grenda and Pacifica. Just because they sometimes looked like something that had crawled out of a horror movie didn't mean they were bad people - the only bad person here was Bill. 

“Hi, I was wondering when I’d see you again. Thanks for the food yesterday, it was really yummy!” Well, it had been alright. But when you were starving, anything tasted delicious.

Soos looked surprise before he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with a hint of a blush. “Haha, wow thanks for the compliment. I don’t often have others sampling my stuff.” Examining her outfit, he blinked. “Hey, am I seeing things or do you look a lot like Dipper right now?”

“You know him?” Mabel couldn't help the hope that soared in her chest - she was already off to a good start! “He’s my twin brother!”

“Oh yeah… I guess you two do kinda look alike." Hand on chin as he regarded her, he gave a nod. "He mentioned you a couple of times now that I think about it. Though he said your name was Mabel, not Maple."

She gave him a patient smile. "So anyway, I don’t suppose you know where I can find him?”

"Find who?"

"Dipper."

"Oh right! Uh, well I _think_ I saw him passing through the town square earlier on-"

“You did? Where is that!?” Standing on tip-toes, Mabel leaned forward as she stared up at him intensely, practically invading the man's personal space.

“Uh, well, I mean… that was earlier on,” Soos replied, laughing nervously as he took a step back and looked aside. “He looked like he was in a rush somewhere too. He's probably gone by now.”

"Oh..." She deflated.

Noting her disappointed expression, Soos hastily added, "But I could name a few places he could be?"

She perked up again. Anything was better than nothing. "That'd be great! Okay, name them all, I'll remember each and every single one." She furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. She'd managed to memorize the words to all 26 songs by boyband Sev'ral Timez in the span of only seven days. She could do anything when she put her mind to it.

“Alright. Let’s see…”

Mabel listened intently as Soos began to list off Dipper’s favourite spots, sinking them into her memory.

_Wait for me bro, I'm coming._

 

\- - -

 

Bill sighed as Stanford’s yells of agony faded the moment he fell unconscious, his head slumping forward. Jeez, he hadn’t even been torturing him that long! It wasn’t that long ago the old guy had been able to last though hours of intense pain and now he couldn’t even handle half an hour? (So what if he'd been stressed and more intense than usual, that didn't change the fact the guy was getting weak).

“Urgh, pathetic.”

Turning around, Bill retreated and began making his way up a set of stone steps as he mused in thought. It would have been fresh and fun to torture one of the morons down in the town for a change but there was scarcely any fun in that whey they couldn't feel pain.

Things really had grown stale around here.

A sudden squawking noise echoed within the demon's ear, heard only to him and causing Bill to pause in his footsteps. "What is it, William?" Closing his eyes, he allowed his mind to wander until the sight of a certain brunette came into view in black and white. 

Oh look at that, she was in trouble.

His lips quirked into a small smile.

Maybe there was still some entertainment to be found around this place.

 

\- - -

 

Dipper hadn’t been in any of the locations in town Soos had mentioned. She'd even stopped by the diner and asked people in there but had had no luck. Most of the townspeople seemed wary of her and not open for much conversation and she hadn't been able to find any of her new friends. In the end Mabel had simply ordered some food, though recalling her stint with the cold coffee the day previous she'd settled for sandwiches which had been fine if not a little stale.

Now, several hours after searching, Mabel found herself walking through the woodland forest that surrounded the town as she attempted to search for Dipper here in a last ditch effort. He'd always liked going off on adventures in the woods near their home years ago from time to time.

She’d been trying to reach a waterfall she’d seen in the distance when walking down from Bill's manor the day before but it was as if she was going in circles again. Like this dumb big rock here, she could have sworn she passed that twice!

Growling at the sight of it again, Mabel kicked it. A mistake.

“Owowow!” Hopping on one foot at the pain, she let out a yelp as she slipped and fell onto her backside elegantly. Staring up at the sky, she sighed. Defeated by nature. “Stupid rock…”

“…If you’re trying to escape, that is impossible.”

“Hm?” Mabel turned her head, eyes falling upon the unicorn stood nearby watching her-

-Wait.

A unicorn!?

Mabel bolted upright, eyes wide and mouth agape as she stared at her childhood dream standing right before her. Had she hit her head harder than she thought or was this actually real? Please be real. “Oh my gosh..." she breathed, "oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You’re a real life unicorn!!" Clasping her hands before her, she added as an afterthought: "You’re beautiful.”

The unicorn in question flipped its hair back. “Stating the obvious, yes.” 

Mabel melted into a warm smile, gladly allowing herself to be distracted from the horrors of everything that had been happening for a brief moment. “What’s your name?”

“I am Celestabellebethabelle.” The unicorn replied without hesitation. Mabel almost squealed. “And what I said was true. You cannot escape. This town and the surrounding area is bubbled within a pocket dimension created by the demon. Once you enter, you cannot leave unless he permits it.”

Mabel’s grin dampened. “I wasn’t trying to escape.”

“Good. Because you can’t,” Celesta replied haughtily. “Many have tried and all have failed. The only way to leave this pocket dimension without his permission is to break the bubble.”

“Oh. So I can just break it-"

“Ignorant!” Celesta yelled, glaring down at her. Mabel clamped her mouth shut. “All of us here have sold our souls to that demon! Even if you _were_ to break the barrier that seals this area, then what? As it stands, the only one who could truly run and be free is you.”

Mabel lowered her gaze. “Oh…”  She paused before chancing a look back towards Celesta. The unicorn was regarding her quietly, apparently waiting for her to speak again. After a moment Mabel decided to ask, “why did you sell your soul, Celestabella- belle- betha-" 

“Spit it out, child.”

“Why did you sell your soul?” Mabel asked in the end, cheeks red. Pronunciation of long words wasn't her forte. 

Celesta paused, and Mabel thought she might not answer. But then she spoke softly, averting her gaze. “As hard as it may to believe, when I was born I was not the beautiful and gorgeous creature you see before you. I had no horn, no rainbow coloured hair, no sparking eyes.” She lowered her head shamefully. “I was hideous. I foolishly made a deal with that demon in my quest to be the most beautiful of all… and here I am.”

“Oh, Celesta…” Mabel whispered with sympathy, standing and reaching out a hand to console her. However Celesta pulled away, holding her head high as she observed Mabel.

“…A unicorn has the power to see into anothers souls. And your soul, Mabel Pines, is the purest I have ever seen.”

Mabel flushed at that, offering a sheepish smile as she rubbed her neck. “Haha, gosh, thanks… I do my best to be a nice person. I even volunteer at the animal center-“

“Do not make light of this.” Celesta cut in, gaze stern. “Your soul is pure… unnaturally pure. Tainted as I am by that demons curse, it hurts to stare at you for longer than a few moments. The same goes for us all. We are all corrupted beings who sold our souls, we are unable to gaze upon your light lest it pains us."

Mabel opened her mouth but found no words came forth. She… hurt others? Now that she thought about it, everyone did seem to look away from her a lot. 

She gripped the fabric of her sweater with a frown at this piece of information. Wasn't having a pure soul meant to be a good thing? Right now it didn't feel like it. Not if it hurt others.

“…Seek the first human who made a deal.”

Mabel looked back to Celesta, confused at her sudden statement. “What? Who is that?”

But Celesta was already turning around, tail flicking behind her. “The sun is setting within the next hour… I do not wish you to see the hideous and tainted form that befalls me at night. Please, do not follow me.”

With that final request the unicorn left, vanishing into the forest and leaving Mabel alone with only her thoughts and the new information she'd learned. The things Celesta had told her didn't provide anything useful however. She'd basically learnt that her presence caused pain to others and that if she did perchance break the barrier surrounding this town it was only her that could leave. 

Because she was the only one who still had ownership of her own soul.

Nobody else did.

Not even Dipper.

She swallowed thickly at this piece of confirmed information. Mabel had known deep inside from the beginning that it was highly likely Dipper had sold his soul if he was trapped here but she'd wanted- she'd **_hoped_** it wasn't true.

"Urgh, Dipper you idiot!" she muttered, rubbing at her burning eyes as she tried to fight back tears. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. Why had he made a deal? What had possessed him to do that? Had he been tricked? Had he not known what he was signing up for-

A twig snapped in the distance behind her.

She froze.

Hands still held up to her eyes, Mabel remained motionless as her ears searched for any sound. Suddenly the entire woods seemed eerily quiet. Had it always been this quiet? Hadn't there been some birds chirping earlier on? When had they stopped?

Slowly lowering her arms, Mabel then heard it. A heavy breathing that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. 

The sound of crunching leaves felt like a gunshot to her in the otherwise silent forest as something moved closer.

She had to run.

Mabel yelled that thought to herself three times in louder succession before she finally managed to push her frozen legs into motion and rush forward. Almost instantly there was frantic movement behind her. It was following her, it was going to catch her-!

She changed direction and headed off left in a sharp turn, hearing the creature fumble on its feet as it tried to turn and chase after her. Mabel made the mistake of glancing behind her, catching sight of snarling teeth as the wolf-like monstrosity chased after her on far too many limbs to count.

There was no way she could outrun that thing!!

Noting a drooping branch ahead, Mabel sucked in a sharp breath and launched herself high into the air, hands grabbing onto it successfully as she quickly swung herself up. The branch wobbled beneath her weight and as she looked down she could see the monster coming to a halt beneath her as it stared up from far beneath.

She breathed out. She was okay.

That thought was quickly proven wrong however when the creature retreated several steps only to take a running jump and leap after her. Mabel released a yell as its teeth clamped around the branch, its large form dangling there several feet from the ground. Its eyes glared at her from its position, multiple pupils crammed together within each eye that were all focused on her. From this proximity, she could see that its skeleton was warped, its rib cage reaching _outside_ of its body to wrap around the torso and its spine raised above the skin. Dark black sludge dripped from its eyes and mouth and the smell of it made her nauseous.

The branch cracked as it began to splinter.

“Oh no, no, no!” Mabel quickly peered up at the next branch above. It was rather high, but she could make it just about.

_Crack-!_

Leaping up with a loud shout, her hands wrapped around the branch just as the one below splintered completely and fell to the ground along with the monster. Mabel looked down as both landed, the monster growling and peering up at her with a snap of teeth. But she was too high now, it couldn’t reach her. Not unless it could leap 15 feet in the air - please don't let that be possible too.

Mabel grit her teeth as she pulled herself up, feeling the strain on her arms. She released a grunt as she managed to straddle the branch, resting her back against the trunk of the tree. _Now_ she was safe. She closed her eyes, breathing out in relief.

…Only to flinch when a large bang ripped through the air, causing the entire tree to tremble. Mabel’s eyes flew open and she looked down just in time to see the monster running straight at the tree once again, its large form battering against it like a ram and causing the entire thing to shake once more.

“S-Seriously!?” Mabel cried. 

The monster didn’t even seem to care that it was injuring itself from its collision, snarling and snapping as it backed up several feet once more. Mabel looked around helplessly. There were no trees near enough to leap to and even then the beast would probably just batter itself against that instead.

The tree was quaking more with each hit.

Mabel pulled a shoe off, throwing it down at the wolf-like monster. “Hey, stop that!” Her sneaker bounced off it like nothing and now she was down a shoe.

“What do I do? What do I do?” She grabbed at her hair with both hands in alarm, she was seriously panicking now. She didn’t want to be torn limb from limb by a monster – she hadn’t even reunited with Dipper yet!

Her eyes met those of a white crow watching her with a tilted head from a faraway tree. She glared at the bird, throwing her other shoe at it in anger as she tried to stop herself from trembling in fear. “What are you looking at? If you want to be useful, go get help!” Her shoe missed it by several feet and the crow simply squawked again at her.

The tree gave a large shake, and Mabel let out a yelp as she was almost sent flying off the branch. She grabbed on at the last moment, hanging upside down with her arms and legs wrapped around the branch.

The monster began sprinting full-force towards the tree once again.

Mabel squeezed her eyes shut, preparing to fall off after the next thud-

..

...

.....

Nothing happened.

“…Hm?” Mabel cracked an eye open when no further collision came. Looking down at the ground, she blinked in surprise. Where had it gone?

An abrupt yelp sounded from further in the woods, giving way to whimpering that was then silenced half way through. Mabel remained as still as a statue, holding her breath as she dared to not make a sound.

“…”

“…Hanging out, are we?”

“Ah-!” Mabel almost fell – again – at the sudden voice. Turning her head she caught sight of a figure stood upon the branch she was hanging from and- wait. She frowned flatly at the pun she had just understood.

“Here.”

A familiar cane suddenly appeared out-stretched above her. Mabel considered it warily for a moment but considering it was her only offer to safety right now she eventually grabbing on firmly with one hand and used it as a support to climb back onto the branch. Straddling the wood once again with both legs, she sighed heavily as she allowed her heart to quieten down. She could literally feel it thudding wildly within her ribcage.

“What was that…?” she asked when she found her voice again.

“A nuisance.”

Mabel raised her head to stare at Bill. He was currently stood on the branch without any sense of unease at the height. “A nuisance…?”

He gazed down at her. “What, you don't know?" He gave her a look as if she was stupid. "Cm'on kid, it's basic knowledge that a body without a soul is imbalanced. Eventually its sanity will rot away and it'll reach a point of no return. What you saw there was just another pathetic mortal who had lost all sense of its humanity and become a demon.”

Mabel felt a chill run down her spine. “I... I thought the people in the town only transformed at night.” 

He snorted as if her statement was idiotic. “Well, sure, when they still have some humanity left. But when that's gone?" He shrugged casually. "Then there's no human form to hold onto anymore. It's all pretty simple, even a toddler would get it. "

Mabel thought back to the sight of the wolf-like creature battering its head against the tree, causing destructive damage to itself as well as the tree in the process. That had once been a person. Somebody with likes and dislikes, somebody who would be missed by friends and family. Her hands clenched in her lap.

“What… What did you do with them?” she asked, referring to the ‘demon’. 

“Eh, I dealt with that annoyance appropriately." He waved a hand as he dismissed the subject. "It's of no matter now, I-" Bill paused when he looked down at her, eyeing her for a moment before he spoke. “Are you... crying?” He arched an eyebrow.

She sniffled, hiding her face behind her hair as she rubbed at her eyes. "No..."

“I can see the tears falling down your dumb face.”

“Well, I can’t help it!” she yelled, head snapping up and eyes flaring. Bill actually flinched in surprise at her outburst before she wiped away more tears. “It’s sad...”

"Seriously? Do you cry over every stupid thing that attempts to eviscerate you?"

She dropped her head down, lips tugged down. "Go away."

"Fine." He turned, taking several steps towards the end of the branch. It was then Mabel recalled where she was and quickly looked back up in alarm.

“Wait-!"

"Oh don't worry, I'm going just like you said. I'm a nice guy, if a lady makes a request I uphold it."

She quickly pushed herself to stand up, placing a hand on the trunk of the tree for support. "Wait, wait, I changed my mind! You can’t leave me up here!” Sure, she could try jumping down but the risk of injury was pretty high depending on which position she fell. If she had been more angry at him she may have been stubborn and tried it anyway. But right now her anger was dwarfed by the exhaustion she felt. She was tired. She just wanted to rest somewhere that wasn't up here in a tree.

“Hmmm, can’t I?”

She glared, stomping a foot. The bark of the branch dug into her bare foot. “You _shouldn’t_ leave me up here!” 

He peered back at her over his shoulder, a coy smile on his lips. Despite standing on the very end of the branch which should have had no way of supporting his entire weight, the offshoot didn’t even bend. Stupid demon powers.

“What’s the matter, kid? All stars fall eventually. Heck, I could even make a wish as you fell!” he laughed. 

Mabel glowered at him. "What would a demon even wish for?" 

He opened his mouth to respond with a smile on his lips before he paused as well, her question finally sinking in as he hastily snapped his mouth shut. Mabel watched in surprise whilst he turned his head away from her, fingers drumming along the head of his cane with lips twisted into a grimace. She hadn't expected that response to her retort.

“You don’t know?” 

At her prompt, his scowl deepened and he shot her a fierce glare.

“I’m a demon. I don’t **_make_** wishes, I grant them to puny humans foolish enough to make deals with me. Humans like those idiotic girls you've so easily befriended.”

“Hey, don't talk about them like that!"

"Why not? I have their souls." His expression hardened, eyes narrowing as his voice turned darker and possessive. "They're _mine._ I own them." 

Mabel glared back, thinking many colorful choice words about him. Then, she thought back to the fact that he 'owned' her brother too and her expression faltered. 

"...Why did my brother make a deal with you?"

He blinked before offering a smile. "Why don't you ask him?"

"I'm asking you!" she retorted hotly, desperate to know. "Tell me! What did my brother ask you for?"

Bill turned to face her, stepping closer as he made a clicking sound with his tongue. Lifting his cane, he brought the end of it down on her head. “It’s rude to shove your nose into others deals without their consent. Didn’t your parents ever teach you manners?”

"Ow-!" She flinched away, raising both hands over her head protectively. "I have more manners than you, that hurt!"

He blinked. "Is that so?" He glanced at the head of his cane thoughtfully before peering back to her and taking another step forward. Mabel suddenly felt a sense of trepidation overcome her because while she couldn't name the emotion currently held in his calculated gaze she knew she didn't like it. She took a step away, back hitting the trunk once again. 

"You know, I find pain hilarious," he explained, lips twisting into a grin. "Can't feel it myself of course but it's sure entertaining to inflict it on others. I suppose this will hurt too, right?" There was a dark look in his eye as he raised his cane, twirling it like a baton before directing it towards her stomach like a spear. She gasped and leapt aside in reflex, momentarily forgetting she was perched on a branch fifteen feet in the air.

She felt a brief moment of weightlessness.

"...Oh no."

Then she dropped.

She would easily admit she screamed like a little girl, staring down at the nearing woodland floor with wide eyes. She was going to land on her head. There was no way that ** _wouldn't_** have repercussions on her health, and possibly life!

However, seconds from impact a white cloud engulfed her, feathers flapping against her skin in a frenzy as a flock of white crows descended upon her. Before she had time to question this new development however the birds vanished in an instant and she fell the final few feet and landed face-first onto a sofa with an 'oof'. There was piercing squawk from her right and when she turned her head she found a single white crow observing her from a window sill.

Mabel remained laid down on the sofa, groaning softly. She was back in the cottage.

"Y'know, I'm aware _some_ humans have a death wish but I didn't take you for one of them."

Mabel's face twisted into a grimace at the voice and sitting upright, she peered across the room to find the demon gazing at her as he leant against a wall. The crow stretched out its wing and glided across the room until it landed on the shoulder of its master. Bill paid it no mind.

She glared. "It was your fault!"

"You jumped."

"If I hadn't, you would have gutted me!"

"Oh please, I wasn't going to go that far!" He looked aside. "I wouldn't want to risk disembowling you and having you cry over me next."

"I'd _never_ cry over you. You're a bully."

"Demon."

"Same thing."

He gave her a mocking smile before straightening up. "Well then, now that I've saved your life twice in one night I'll be leaving. I can't be your shining knight in armour 24/7." 

She watched as he turned and headed towards the exit, lips tugged into a sour pout. However as he opened the door, she found herself speaking. "You never answered my question.” 

Bill paused, looking back at her over his shoulder. “What?”

“About what your wish would be,” she replied, somewhat curious as to what a cold-hearted demon would wish for. “Everyone has something they’d wish for.”

His eyes narrowed, looking irritated. “I already have everything I want." 

She opened her mouth to reply-

“Don’t test me, Shooting Star. I’m being nice by allowing you to wander freely. I could just as easily lock you up until the new moon.”

She quickly slammed her mouth closed again.

Bill shot her a dirty look before he turned and left, the door slamming shut behind him. Had she... touched a sore spot perhaps?

Peering out the nearby window, she noted it was almost night again. She'd wasted an entire day and hadn't learnt anything valuable or seen even a hint of Dipper being nearby. She would have chanced going out at night before she'd learnt there _was_ apparently demons in the town that were dangerous to her.

The earlier excitement she'd felt this morning was slowly fading along with the sun.

_“…Seek the first human who made a deal.”_

Celesta's advice from earlier floated through her mind. The first human. Who would that be? And would they even still be human after all this time? Bill had warned her that a human without a soul would transform into a demon eventually.

Right now though it was the only lead she had.

Hugging her knees to her chest, she rested her head atop of them. This would all be so much easier if she had someone to help her.

"Dipper... where are you?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Bill would wish for? 
> 
> Also, a note: This Bill will have a somewhat altered personality from canon Bill since this Bill’s origins are different and there are various exterior factors that have/are influencing his personality and way of thinking. The difference shouldn't between the two shouldn't be too large that it's jarring. 
> 
> **Music used for inspiration writing this chapter:**  
>  Turbine Womb - Soap Skin  
> Shiny Toy Guns - Stripped  
> Voltaire - When You're Evil
> 
> *I have added song lists in previous chapters too.


	5. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, hope you're all enjoying the holidays. Thank you again for any feedback so far! With this chapter we get to meet a few more new characters.
> 
> Enjoy!

Wendy Corduroy propped her head up with one hand as she sat in a booth within the town’s only café/diner. There was a plate of pancakes laid in front of her but she’d only taken a few bites out of the meal. It was hard to feel any real excitement for food when you could barely taste it. Man, she’d give anything to take a sip of expired milk and blanch at the sour taste.

“Hey Wendy, are you listening to me?”

She tuned back into her companion seated opposite her in the booth. 

“Huh?”

His frown deepened and she quickly straightened up and gave a laugh. “Oh, yeah, _of course_ I was listening, Robbie. I mean, that latest song of yours sounds _great._ ”

There was a pause before he broke into a grin, leaning back in his seat. “I know, right? I was wondering if I should change the lyrics though.”

“Nah, I think they’re good. The lyrics about bones decaying? Man, that was awesome. It’s… uh...” Wendy’s words trailed off as her gaze wandered past the dark-haired youth and landed on a certain young Pine twin who had just walked through the doors of the cafeteria.

Everyone pretty much followed suit. It was hard _not_ to notice the only girl in town who still had her soul within her. She gave off this warm light, something that only grew in intensity the longer you stared. The other patrons gave her a quick and cautionary look before turning away although they continued to sneak peeks from the corner of their eyes when they could.

“Oh great, _she’s_ here,” Robbie muttered.

Wendy ignored him and instead raised an arm. “Hey, Mabel!”

Robbie snapped his head around to give her an incredulous look. “What are you doing!?”

The redhead kept her attention focused on the brunette who peered over curiously at the use of her name. Wendy gestured for her to come over before Robbie leant over the table and yanked her arm down with a glare. Gripping her wrist tightly, he hissed at her quietly.

“What are you playing at? Don’t you know who she is?”

Wendy returned the glare with her own and she saw his expression waver. They both knew when it came to a stare down she’d triumph easily. “I know _exactly_ who she is,” she replied. “That’s why I’m asking her over.”

He scoffed and retracted his hand.

She gave him a hard look for a few seconds before turning to flash a smile just as Mabel reached their table. “Hey! It’s Mabel, right?”

The girl offered a smile in return. “Yeah, how’d you know?” Her eyes then widened comically, raising her hands to her mouth in a gasp. “Ohmygod, are you psychic?”

“Nah,” Wendy snorted. They already had one psychic in town and that was more than enough. “Pretty much everyone in town knows who you are.”

Robbie sneered from his corner in the booth. “Yeah, you don’t exactly blend into the crowd.”

Mabel looked his way before perking up abruptly. Placing both hands on the edge of the table, she leaned in his direction with a toothy smile. “Hey, I know you! I met you on the street the other day!”

Robbie’s expression darkened and folding his arms, he pointedly looked away from her. To Mabel’s credit, she didn’t look offended as she turned her attention to Wendy instead. “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, he’s just pouting.”

“I’m not-!”

“Come sit with me.” Interrupting his protest, Wendy scooted up in the booth and allowed girl to slide in beside her. “I’m Wendy by the way and this sulking guy here is Robbie.” The boy in question ignored them.

Mabel grinned at the introduction. “It’s nice to meet you, I only really know a few people.”

“Oh, who’ve you met already?” Most of the population seemed intent on avoiding ‘the girl with a soul’. Wendy supposed she could understand that. It was rather blinding to be in close proximity to the girl. She already had a headache that she was trying to ignore.

“Let’s see…” Raising her hands, Mabel ticked names off with her fingers. “There was Soos first. Then Candy, Grenda and Pacifica. You two. Oh – Celesta!”

“No way, you met her?” Wendy arched an eyebrow in surprise. “Huh, I haven’t seen her in years.” The unicorn wasn’t exactly social with the townspeople. She usually went out of her way to avoid them.

“Yeah, it was great.” Mabel giggled dreamily and Wendy found her lips twitching into a smile in response. “And I guess… that’s it, really. Aside from Bi- I mean, you-know-who, I haven’t really been able to talk with anyone else.”

“What, you haven’t met your nerdy brother?” Robbie asked, breaking his silence.

Mabel’s smile dampened, shoulders slumping. “No… which sucks because the only reason I came out here was to see him in the first place. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was avoiding me.” She pursed her lips together.

Robbie opened his mouth to make some mocking retort but one look from Wendy made him clamp his mouth shut. Instead, she placed a comforting hand on the girls’ shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll meet him real soon.”

“You think so?”

“I’m positive.” She'd make sure of it. She gave the younger girl a wink before patting her on the back. “Now then, what can I get you? You need food to start the day off.”

“Oh, I already had something at Dipper’s – I’m staying there right now – he had some cereal in his kitchen."

“Good choice." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "The food in this place can be questionable sometimes.”

“Haha, yeah…” Mabel smiled awkwardly before continuing. “Anyways. I’m actually looking for someone.”

“Oh?”

The girl nodded. “I’m looking for the first person who made a deal.”

Wendy’s smile faded. “What?”

“The… first person to make a deal and give up their soul,” Mabel explained unsurely. “Celesta said I should seek them out?”

“That sounds baloney, I’ve never heard of anyone like that,” Robbie responded, eyebrows drawing together.

“What about you?” Mabel turned to look at Wendy with wide pleading eyes and- oh jeez, this girl had the exact same puppy look as Dipper. God dammit.

“I… I don’t know. I haven’t been around long enough to know stuff like that.”

Mabel’s hopeful expression fell.

“Buuuut~” Wrapping an arm around the girl, Wendy leaned against her and shot her a grin. “I know someone who might.”

Robbie placed a hand over his face. “Please don’t tell me we’re going to see that old geezer.”

Wendy’s grin only widened in response.

He groaned. “I hate this day already.”

 

\- - -

 

“Wendy, why are we walking down a dingy alleyway?”

“Because this is where the guy lives.”

“In an alley?”

“This is a stupid idea,” Robbie stated even as he continued to follow the two girls. Mabel walked alongside him as they followed Wendy, peering up at him curiously every now and again. He eventually noticed her stares and looked back down at her. She offered him a warm smile to which he just scoffed and looked away.

 _Someone_ was in need of some hugs and friendship.

“Aha, here we are!”

Coming to a stop before a dead end, Wendy strode forwards towards a pile of cardboard boxes. There was trash littering the alleyway and the tall buildings on either side prevented much light from falling in to the narrow area which left the place darkened by shadows. Spooky.

Bending over, Wendy peered into the boxes only to frown. “Huh, he’s not here.”

Robbie sighed in relief. “Let’s go then.”

Mabel frowned in disappointment. Looking back towards Robbie once again she was about to say something when the words died in her throat. 

“…ah.”

She stared as a dark figure approaching the hoodie boy from behind.

Robbie scowled down at her. “Will you quit staring at me, already? It’s creepy!”

Mabel raised a hand, pointing. “Um…”

“What!?”

**_“YEE-HAW!”_ **

Robbie released a scream as he was grabbed from behind and hoisted into the air by arms. Mabel yelled as well and grabbed a discarded golf club at her feet, preparing to swing it at the assailant until Wendy leapt in front of her, waving her arms frantically.

“Guys, guys, relax! It’s just McGucket-!”

"Huh...?" Mabel paused, still holding onto her weapon. She looked past Wendy and as her eyes adjusted to the shadows she finally saw it was an elderly man holding Robbie aloft and not another demon. “Who…?”

“Put me down, you old fart!”

“Hmm?” The old man peered between them all before blinking up at Robbie. “By gummity, how’d you get up there?” Dropping the youth to the floor without much caution he rubbed his hands on the long white beard that fell down to his feet. He was barefoot and there was what looked like a copper sauce pan seated atop his head.

“Mabel…” Wendy began, looking somewhat exasperated. “This is… uh, Old Man McGucket.”

“Pleasure to meet your acquaintance!” he yelled, almost rupturing her ear drums.

Pushing himself to his feet, Robbie shot the man a glare. “Urgh.”

“H-Hello,” Mabel replied, offering a weak wave.

The man’s head snapped around and his eyes targeted on her. She froze. A second later he was suddenly in front of her, staring down intensely with squinted eyes. “Well kettle my corn, you still have your soul, don’t ‘cha Sally?”

“Um. My name’s actually Mabel-“

“Shuuuuuush,” he placed a finger to her lips and she crossed her eyes as she attempted to look down at it. Uh.

Pulling his hand away, McGucket rubbed his chin. “Hoo boy, I ain’t ever seen one as bright as that. You're a sight for sore eyes, arent'cha? Literally. My old eyes could go blind staring too long."

Wendy cleared her throat. “McGucket?”

“Hm?” Breaking out of his thoughts the old man looked aside before grinning. “Ah, why if it ain’t young Wendy! You should visit more often. As hard as it may be to believe, I don’t get all that many visitors!”

Robbie folded his arms. “Gee, I wonder why.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Wendy’s smile looked strained. “Actually, we were wondering if you could help us?”

“You want this old timer to help you? With what?”

“I’m looking for someone,” Mabel said, stepping forward and regaining his attention. “The first human to make a deal. I need to speak with them.”

The elderly man raised an eyebrow. “The First Human, eh?”

“You’ve been here longer than anyone,” Wendy remarked. “We figured you’d know.”

“Ay, I know him. He’s the only one who’s been here longer than I have.” Stroking his beard, the man nodded to himself. “I’ve been here for five centuries, now... Or was it six? More? Less? I forget, this old fella’s noggin’ doesn’t work like it used to.”

Mabel's eyes widened at the amount of time he'd been here before she looked past him to see Robbie holding a finger up to his head and twirling it around. _‘Crazy.’_ She swallowed nervously.

_"A body without a soul is imbalanced. Eventually its sanity will rot and it will reach a point of no return."_

Mabel shifted uncomfortably at the memory of Bill’s words. Be that as it may, right now this man was the only lead she had so far.

“Can you take us to him? To the first human?”

He planted both hands on his hips and held his head high with a smile. "Nope!"

Mabel's face dropped. "What?" 

McGucket turned sheepish, playing with his beard. "Hey now, don't misunderstand. There's nothin' I'd love more than to introduce you tykes to the old fella but he's less social than a stone trapped in a crop circle. He won't meet with ya."

Mabel blinked. "I... I don't understand what that means."

"Guys this kook can't help us, let's just go," Robbie insisted, turning to leave. 

"Wait!" Mabel called before stepping towards McGucket. "Old Man McGucket, is there no way to meet this person? I'll do anything! If Bill-"

"Gyack, don’t- don’t say that!” McGucket yelled, suddenly fearful as he glanced up and around nervously, holding onto the handles of his sauce pan tightly.

“Ah, sorry…” Mabel apologised. Right, they didn't like hearing the demon's name. 

He looked around warily before ushering her to come closer with a curl of a finger. She glanced at Wendy for reassurance who nodded for her to go ahead. Mabel scooted closer towards the unkempt man, and as he leaned closer he dropped his voice down to a whisper.

"If you really want to meet the old-timer, there's only one thing I could think of that would make him open his door. You've got to get to his brother."

"Brother?" She said aloud.

"Sh-Shhh!" He looked around nervously at her raised voice before leaning in towards her again, voice even quieter. "Third floor of the demon's place. Go where the Queen points to. There, you'll find a book by a fella called Quentin Trembley."

Mabel listened intently to him. "Wait, what Queen?"

He ignored her in favour of scuttling over to his cardboard 'home'. He returned a few moments later with another sauce pan in his hands. Without warning, he slammed the thing on her head. "Wear this when you go, it'll keep you safe from the demon's prying eye."

"Um... thank you...?"

"You're most welcome." He shot her a grin. "Now then, if y'all excuse me I got a fight with the hippie in my drain water." 

"Wait, what did you mean by-" He had already vanished into the shadows. "Nevermind."

She frowned before glancing Wendy's way only to find her whispering with Robbie. The boy nodded and left the alleyway as Mabel approached the girl. Wendy peered towards her as she approached. "So, what did he say? Anything useful?"

Mabel removed the sauce pan from her head, looking down at it with confusion. "...I'm not sure." Something about Bill's manor and a book? 

Wendy eyed her for a moment before shooting her a grin and wrapping an arm around her. “Hey, don't worry about it. Even if this was a bit of a bust I think I know something that will _definitely_ cheer you up.”

Mabel perked up, instantly curious. "Oooh, what is it?"

Wendy dropped her arm in favour of grabbing her hand. “Follow me.”

 

\- - -

 

The redhead guided Mabel back to her own place which was a large house in the east side of town. She lead Mabel in through the front door with open arms. “Welcome to the home of Corduroy. Beer’s in the fridge.”

“I’m underaged.”

“So?” Wendy winked at her. “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.” Mabel laughed at that and followed her into the main sitting room. 

"Whoah..." This place was a bigger mess than Dipper's.

"Yeah..." Wendy gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry the place is such a tip. I wasn't expecting visitors and last night was a bit of a hectic one."

Mabel peered over towards the girl at her vague allusion to her transformation at night. Did that mean she'd been the one to cause this chaos? Mabel wondered if it would impolite to ask about it. Before she could decide on this however Wendy shoved a few magazines off the couch to make space for them. As she did so, a scrap of paper fell down by Mabel's feet. Bending down to pick it up, she found it was a photograph. Within it there was a younger Wendy laughing with three boys as they created a sandcastle on a beach. Wendy had braces and pigtails and reminded Mabel of her own younger self.

"Hey, what'cha looking at?" Looking over her shoulder, Wendy's eyes fell on the photograph too. "Oh." Her expression turned gentle, more gentle than Mabel had seen yet, and she took the photograph from Mabel's grasp. "Those three were my younger brothers. Marcus, Kevin and Gus."

"They look like you."

Wendy laughed at that. "Yeah, we all inherited my dads red hair."

"How old are they now?"

Wendy's smile dampened somewhat. Taking a seat on the sofa, she continued to hold onto the photograph. "I guess... they'd be in their late seventies by now."

"Wait, what?" Had she misheard there?

Wendy looked up at the brunette, giving a wry smile. "I've been in this town for over fifty years, Mabel."

"O-Oh..." McGucket had said something about being here for centuries, but considering he was kinda off his rocker she hadn't known if he was reliable. Taking a seat besides the redhead, she paused before giving a kind smile. "Well, you look _really_ good for your age."

Wendy chuckled. "I know, right? Who needs anti-wrinkle cream when you can just make a deal with a demon-" She cut off, and realising what she had said her smile faded and they both grew quiet. Wendy tucked the photograph away in her jacket pocket before turning to face Mabel, expression more serious. "The thing is Mabel, after you hand over your soul you become... different. Altered aging is just one of many weird side-effects."

As was transforming into a demon at night, apparently.

"It effects everyone differently but we're all in the same boat either way. Robbie's been here forty years."

"Wow." Mabel was blown away with this information. She wondered how long everyone else had been here. What about Candy and Grenda? Pacifica?

As she sat deep in thought at this new information, Wendy's gaze suddenly drifted past her and a sly smirk grew on her face. "But enough of that... I've got someone I think you'll want to meet."

Mabel gave her a curious look. "Who?" Before Wendy could respond, the sound of the front door opening reached her ears.

"...just quit asking questions and come on in, jeez." Robbie's voice from the entrance. "This is the last time I play chauffeur to you, kid."

"Good, I'd hate to have you as one. And all I asked was why Wendy wanted to see me, you don't have to be an ass!" 

That voice…

Mabel jumped to her feet, turning to watch with wide-eyes as Robbie entered the room with a second person in tow.

“Dipper.”

The boy in question froze at her voice, looking towards her sharply with a look of utter shock. Her vision began to blur before her as tears formed in her eyes.

“M-Mabel?" he sputtered, looking completely blindsided. "What are- Why are you…” 

Mabel practically leapt over the sofa as she rushed forward, colliding against him and sending both of them to the floor in a loud thud.

“Oof-! M-Mabel!”

She wrapped her arms tightly around him, refusing to let go as she pressed her face against his chest. “It’s really you… you’re okay…” Her voice cracked as more tears fell.

She'd finally done it.

She'd found him again.

 

 

\- - -

 

Bill grunted as he stumbled in the corridor, placing a gloved hand against the wall for support as he made his way into his lascivious bedroom. His head hurt so much, it was killing him. His fingernails scraped his skin as he gripped at his head in aggravation and headed towards his bed.

**"CIPHER."**

The man in question froze at the dark voice, face paling before he swung around, his attention drawn toward the fireplace. Despite never having turned it on the fire was in full blaze, and within the flames a pair of dark eyes watched his every movement.

He felt a chill down to his very bones.

"Oh. H-Hey! How are you? I wasn't... expecting to talk to you again so soon," he insisted, voice wavering. "How are ya doing? I'm loving what you've done with your, uh, eyes." He internally winced. Dammit.

**"YOU HAVE TWELVE DAYS LEFT, CIPHER."**

Bill swallowed thickly, a visible bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

“I know. B-But I have another soul! A much better soul to offer in my stead!”

The voice within the flames made a small noise that Bill could almost consider a chuckle. The flames roared higher.

**"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULD ACCEPT ANOTHER IN YOUR PLACE? I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO _YOURS_ FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY LONG AMOUNT OF TIME."**

Bill turned to face the entity completely. “It’s a pure soul.”

**“…”**

“A completely pure soul.” Bill went on, a sense of pleading in his voice. “You know how rare they are. You only see one of those babies once every few hundred years.”

**"I AM AWARE."**

“R-Right! Of course! You know everything, haha.” He forced a chuckle as his heart hammered wildly.

The flames dulled somewhat, the eyes continuing to stare through him for a moment. And then:

**"IF YOU ARE TELLING THE TRUTH AND THERE IS INDEED A PURE SOUL, THEN I SUPPOSE A... REPLACEMENT COULD BE OFFERED IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE."**

Bill smiled in triumph.

 **"BUT,"**  the voice went on, cutting through his elation.  **"DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHEAT ME, CIPHER. I GAVE YOU YOUR POWERS AND I CAN JUST AS EASILY RIP THEM AWAY."**

"O-Of course..." 

**"TWELVE DAYS. A PURE SOUL OR YOUR SOUL. EITHER WAY, I _WILL_ BE LEAVING WITH ONE OR THE OTHER IN MY GRASP." **

With those final words the fire snuffed itself out, leaving Bill alone with his thoughts. Raising a hand, he tugged at his bow-tie, suddenly finding it somewhat tight around his throat.

This was fine. He already had the pure soul trapped here. She couldn’t leave. And even if she could she _wouldn’t_ because her brother was here. She would never leave without him. They had that disgusting sibling bond tying them together.

It was the very reason he had trapped Dipper here to begin with.

Finding himself suddenly weary, Bill took a few further steps towards his bed as the scenery around him span. He was fine - just exhausted. A few hours sleep would help him.

The demon collapsed to the floor before he even made it to the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lengthy MaBill interaction promised next chapter! (The nearer we get to the half-way point, the more excited I get because that's when things get *very* entertaining). 
> 
> Also can you figure out what McGucket's phrase "less social than a stone trapped in a crop circle" alludes to?
> 
>  **Music used for inspiration writing this chapter:**  
>  The Submarines - 1940 (Amplive Remix)  
> Avicii - Hey Brother  
> Muse - Time is Running Out


	6. Corvid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mabel had done many reckless things in her life that would be called impulsive.  
> And now, she’d agreed to a date with the devil himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, not dead. Apologies for the long break, reason for it is listed in my profile. 
> 
> Thank you for reading as always. Fun Fact: I was finding it difficult to get the motivation to finish this chapter off but then received a comment and what do ya know, that motivated me to finish it off and publish it in one night! – comments are like writer fuel.
> 
> Here’s chapter 6 with some more MaBill interaction – this is a very plot-heavy story with lots of characters so Bill has to take his turn when it comes to meeting Mabel but from this chapter onwards, their interactions will be growing in frequency – and intensity too ;)

Dipper hesitated for a moment in wrapping his arms around his twin but at the sound of her crying he quickly relented and hugged her back tightly as he propped his chin atop her head, feeling her hair tickle his throat.

“Hey, Mabel."

He briefly shot Wendy and Robbie a sharp look but the redhead simply smiled with a half-hearted shrug before ushering Robbie out of the room and leaving the siblings alone. Dipper would talk with her later but he had a feeling she wouldn't feel guilty no matter what he said. For now, the boy simply allowed his twin to cry against his chest as held her tightly. So much for avoiding her then.

“Don’t worry Mabel, it’s gonna be okay,” he promised, running a hand through her hair like he used to do all those years ago. He noted the cap atop her head and smiled. “Ah, I wondered where I’d lost that…”

“Hm?” Mabel pulled away, staring up at him in confusion before she recognised what he was referring to. “Oh…! Um, here.” Shuffling back slightly, she offered the cap with a smile whilst she used one of her sleeves to quickly wipe away lingering tears - sleeves belonging to one his own shirts he noted absent-mindedly. “You’re not Dipper without your nerdy hat.”

“It’s not nerdy…” he protested whilst accepting familiar cap and placing atop his head – he had felt somewhat weird without it. 

Mabel stared at him, smile waning the longer she did so. Dipper felt self-conscious beneath her gaze, Mabel had always been able to see through him. 

“You have stubble.”

He gave a weak smile. He hadn’t shaved in a while. “Yeah…”

“And you’re taller.”

“Yeah." He couldn't help the slight triumphant smirk with that confirmation, he was probably taller than her now.

“And your hair’s longer.”

“It is.”

She pursed her lips as she examined him. “You still look scrawny though.”

“Hey!” He'd built a little muscle over the years! 

A laugh bubbled from her lips as fresh tears welled up in her eyes and he couldn’t be sure if they were happy tears or not. He hated seeing her cry. Mabel didn't cry. Not the Mabel he knew. He reached out a hand to wipe them away before she spoke again. “Dipper, did you…” Her voice faltered somewhat before she went on. “You made a deal… didn’t you?”

He paused before swiftly retracting his hand and looking away from her.

 

. . . . . . .

 

That was all the answer she needed. She'd known already of course. Bill had confirmed it too but having it established once and for all by Dipper himself was almost too much. She drew in a sharp breath, shoulders tensing as she gave way to the rising whirlwind of emotions inside her.

 ** _"Why?"_ ** she yelled, allowing the frustration that had been building ever since she came here to take over. "Dipper, you- You're supposed to be the smart one! Why would you do something like this? It's..." Her hands clenched in her lap and her expression became torn. 

Dipper looked back to her, his entire posture vulnerable and his voice quiet. "Mabel, I-"

“It’s not fair!” she yelled loudly, the volume of her voice causing him to flinch in alarm. Hands clenched at her sides, she couldn't look at his guilt-filled expression any longer and she dropped her head forward allowing her hair to falling forward. When she spoke again, her voice was weak. “I spent so long looking for you Dipper… everyone else thought you were dead. Even mom and dad. I was so alone. But I never gave up… and now… after all these years when I finally find you, you’re telling me I can’t take you home?” Her voice trembled. "How is that fair...?"

Dipper remained knelt before her, unsure how to respond. "I’m.... I'm sorry…” he mumbled softly in the end.

Lifting her head, she watched him from behind melancholy eyes for a moment. So much for a happy reunion after all this years.

“What did you wish for?”

Her abrupt question yielded no response. Dipper his arm awkwardly as he looked pointedly away from her.

“Dipper,” she said, a pleading tone to her voice.

“It’s not important.”

“You sold your **_soul_** for whatever it was!” she cried, “I want to know just what on Earth was so important to you that it warranted giving your soul to a demon and losing you for six years!”

“I… I can’t tell you,” he replied weakly, his shoulders slumping as he stared down at the floorspace between them.

Mabel wanted to yell at him in frustration and shake his shoulders until he told her the truth-!But… this was their first meeting in six years and she didn’t want to spend the entirety of it directing her anger at him. Slowly but surely her shoulders slumped at her sides, forcing her frustration aside. For now at least. She wasn’t going to give up just like that but for now, she’d let it lie.

She could grant him that much. 

Instead of berating him further, she simply said, "I missed you."

He raised his head to look back at her, catching on to the fact she was giving him a break.

“I missed you too.”

She paused for a long moment before holding her arms out, sporting a sheepish smile. “Awkward sibling hug?”

Dipper chuckled at that and nodded, holding his own out in response as his lips quirked up in a boyish grin.

“Awkward sibling hug.”

. . . . . . .

 

"I'll walk you back to my place."

After spending the last few hours simply enjoying one another's company, and catching up over the years, Mabel left Wendy's place. They had stuck to safe topics such as what their parents were up to these days and how school was going for Mabel. She'd asked him what he'd been up to but he'd been vague and avoidant in answering. She let him get away with it - but only this once. Only because it was their first meeting in so long.

The sun was setting as he guided her back toward his place.

"It was empty when I first came here, the original owner had left it ages ago," he explained. Mabel tried not to wonder if the original owner had left because his sanity had too, transforming him into a monster.

"It's a tip, Dipper. I thought _I_ was meant to be the messy one," she teased.

He rubbed his neck with a sheepish look. "I was going to clean up... eventually."

She rolled her eyes, unable to fight the smile on her face from the happiness at being able to joke around with her brother after so long. For the first time in years she didn't feel as if there was some empty space in her heart.

As the small cottage came into sight near the woods, Dipper came to a halt. "Here you are..."

Mabel looked to him, a frown settling on her features. "Huh? Aren't you coming in too?"

He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "Uh..."

She turned on him, pointing a finger straight in his face. "If you think I'm letting you avoid me again-"

"It's not like that!" he insisted, leaning back slightly from her finger. "I just...." He sighed. "You know what happens to the townsfolk at night, right?"

Her out-stretched arm drooped slightly. "Yeah..."

"I don't want you to see me like that, Mabel."

Her face fell. "Dipper..."

"I know I've done a lot of stuff already that you're not happy with. I don't blame you for wanting to keep me in your sight at all times, but I..." He took in a deep breath before catching her gaze with his, expression serious. "I need this, Mabel. I promise I won't avoid you anymore but just let me have this."

She pressed her lips tightly together. She wasn't happy with the notion of letting him leave her side and it's not like she'd care what Dipper looked like-! 

But she couldn't reject this request.

"Alright..." she mumbled eventually. "But! If I think for even one second you're trying to avoid me again, I'll handcuff us together - don't think I won't! I did it in sixth grade and I'll do it again!"

"Okay, okay," he smiled in clear relief. "I promise."

"Pinky promise?" 

He stared as she reached out her little finger before chuckling and looping it with his own.

"Pinky promise." 

 

. . . . . . .

 

The next day came and Mabel found herself up earlier than she would like. She'd struggled with sleep all night and as she peered out the window, the sun had only just risen with dew still coating the grass and leaves.

Dipper had promised to come find her here at noon. That meant she had, what, six hours? It was summer so she knew the sun rose pretty early. Frowning as she stared out at the scenery, her eyes then drifted over toward the manor atop the hill that overlooked the entire town.

_“Third floor of the demon's place. Go where the Queen points to. There, you'll find a book by a fella called Quentin Trembley.”_

McGucket's obscure words of advice returned to her mind. Celeste had told her to speak with the First Human and, in order to meet him, she apparently needed to follow McGucket's weird directions - and there was also something involving finding the brother of the First Human? It was all confusing and Mabel struggled to make sense of it.

But right now it seemed to be the only lead she had in achieving something whilst trapped here. If a unicorn was telling her to do something, Mabel felt she _had_ to do it - everyone knew unicorns were trustworthy and helpful. 

Pursing her lips together, Mabel continued to stare at the manor before making up her mind. Pushing herself away from the window, she turned on her heel and went to fetch her clothes and shoes.

She was paying a certain demon a prompt visit.

 

. . . . . . .

 

She didn't see anyone out on the streets of the town when she passed through its outskirts and so she reached the path winding up the hill toward the manor without disruption. She followed the path for a short while but avoided the main doors of the manor and instead took a detour around the side of the large building and approached the side-door she had left through during her first and only visit here so far. To her surprise it was unlocked and so she stepped in through the doorway easily and found herself within the kitchen. 

There was no Soos or anyone else here this time around. Mabel swallowed as she headed for the spiral stone staircase that lead upstairs and out into the corridor of a hallway. She’d gotten this far but from here on out Mabel had no idea where she was – if you asked her to find the bedroom she’d awoken in several days ago, she would have no idea where to start. Peering out a window at the gardens below, Mabel knew she was at least on the second floor since she’d had to climb up a set of stairs to get up here.

Now she just had to find some stairs leading to the third floor… all while avoiding a certain demon.

**_“SQUAWK!”_ **

“Gyah-!”

Mabel jumped back as she was almost hit in the face by a familiar white crow. Falling back onto her butt, she winced as she hit the floor rather harshly. The albino corvid flapped its wings as it landed on a nearby window ledge and she sent the bird an annoying glare. That thing was becoming a larger thorn in her side with each passing day.

What had Bill called it? William?

“Stupid bird,” she muttered.

Standing up, Mabel eyed it warily. The crow watched her keenly with red eyes and Mabel felt uneasy with the intensity of its gaze. She didn’t want to go snooping around in the manor with this thing watching her – what if it was somehow able to report back to Bill? 

"Shoo, shoo!" She attempted to send it away with her hands but the crow simply jabbed its beak toward her hand and pecked her. "Ow!" Jerking her hand back and holding it protectively against her chest, she scowled.

Dumb bird.

Huffing, she turned to head down the corridor only for the bird to squawk once more. She jumped as it flew over her, soaring down the hallway until it landed on another window ledge further down. It hopped once and tilted its head as it peered at her almost expectantly.

“Do you… want me to follow you?” Mabel asked aloud.

It didn’t respond but she had a feeling its stare became more focused. She considered her options for a moment. Mabel didn’t want to do anything that might make the bird – William – raise the alarm so after a moment she sighed begrudingly. “Alright.” As she began walking after it, the bird waited for her to get within close enough proximity before it took flight once more and flew further down the corridor. They repeated this for a while, Mabel following and the bird flying ahead and then waiting for her to catch up as she was guided through the maze of winding corridors.

She took a few curious peeks into doors as she passed them by. Most seemed to have gone unused for years if the amount of dust and cobwebs said anything about it. Mabel didn't understand why any one person - or demon - would need such a large manor to themself for. If Mabel owned a place like this, she'd invite all her family and closest friends to live there too. And there was definitely going to be parties every weekend! And celebrities!

Smiling at her fantasy, Mabel almost didn't see the staircase as she followed the bird and passed by it. Fortunately however, she did a double take and came a sudden stop as she turned to observe the carpeted steps that must lead up to the third floor. Stepping closer to peer up them, the set of steps seemed to grow darker the higher they went up. There didn't seem to be any light at the top of the stairs which was odd since sunlight should have been shining through the windows like they were down here.

_“Third floor of the demon's place. Go where the Queen points to."_

She reached out a foot onto the first step-

**_“SQUAWK!”_ **

An enraged white raven flew directly into her face as it flapped its wing in a flurry, feet tangling up in her hair as it pecked at her head.

"Ow - hey- ouch! Stupid bird - William - get off me!" Swatting at it with her hands until it finally left her scalp alone, Mabel scrambled back several feet as she gripped at her head protectively. William perched on the bottom step as she tried to tidy her hair. The bird almost seemed to be _glaring_ at her.

Looks like the third floor was off limits.

William shrieked once more for good measure before turning and flying and not wishing to have her head pecked at again, she followed. This time however he kept his eye on her, refusing to let her out of sight for one second which only served to increase her curiosity about the third floor. She followed the bird through the corridors without any further attempted detours until they came across a set of double doors.

“This is it?” she asked as the bird dropped down to the floor by the door. It stared at her and then the doors expectantly. Mabel turned her attention to the doors as well and paused before pushing one open and cautiously looking inside.

 “Oh, it’s just a bedroom.”

…with a Bill Cipher on the floor.

Mabel slammed the door shut in reflex.

William squawked in indignation, pecking at her shoes. She ignored him however, holding both door handles as her heart thudded.

After a moment, she cracked the door open once again. When she looked in, it was to find Bill’s motionless body on the floor. He… wasn’t moving.

Opening the door completely after a while, Mabel stepped in whilst eyeing the demon warily. William flew past her legs and into the room, perching on a set of drawers near a window. The room looked similar to the room she had awoken in, in terms of luxurious furniture that looked as if it belonged in an 18th century period drama. William watched her from his position however Mabel paid the bird no mind, instead approaching the blond demon. He was laid on his front, his eyes closed and his hair askew. He looked almost peaceful in this state, long eyelashes and rosy cheeks – _very_ rosy cheeks actually. His entire face looked rather red to be honest. Did he have a fever?

Mabel reached out a hand to feel his forehead over only for William to let out an ungodly shriek once again that made her heart almost leap out her chest. She shot him an annoyed look and frowned. Its feathers were ruffled as he glared straight back at her. She slowly retracted her hand and he relaxed.

She reached out again and he squawked.

Pulled back, relaxed.

Reach out, squawk.

Mabel pulled her hand back one final time.

Alright, no touchy.

Cupping her chin with her hands as she crouched, she examined the unconscious demon and eyed him warily. Something gleamed from around his throat and tilting her head, Mabel caught sight of a gold chain around his neck that went beneath his shirt where she could vaguely make out something attached to it.

But it wasn’t like she could reach out and take it whilst that dumb bird was staring.

After a while she stood up. She should just leave him to suffer on the floor like this. With that thought in mind, she turned to head towards the door…

…only to falter.

“…”

Mabel frowned, looking back at the defenseless demon.

Urgh, it wasn’t fair, he was the bad guy here! 

So why-  _why_ did she have to be so nice that she felt guilty at the prospect of leaving him here when he was clearly ill?

Mabel thought back to the fact a few days ago he had technically saved her life – _twice._  (Sure it was because he needed her soul for his own selfish needs, but she was still thankful to be alive and not torn to shreds or flattened to a pancake on the ground). 

With a groan, she eventually turned around and walked back towards him.

“Bluh… being pure of heart sucks.”

The bird tilted its head in response.

Spotting a convenient jug of water beside an empty glass on the bedside table, Mabel went and grabbed it. Returning to the demon, she couldn’t help the twitch of her lips as she took great satisfaction in emptying the contents down upon his face.

His eyes shot open.

Mabel felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Her entire body collided against the far wall with a thud that made her hiss in pain. However, she didn’t fall. Instead, some invisible yet heavy - _very_ heavy - force pinned her there a foot above the ground.

“Ow…”

The brunette raised her head to find a rather wet looking demon approaching her, water dripping from his hair. The sight would have been amusing if not for the fact his pupils were as red as blood with the surrounding scleras stained black. And did his teeth look more sharper than usual when he parted his lips? Oh God.

Bill came to a stop directly in front of her, their noses barely centimetres apart. She could see her own alarmed expression reflected in his eyes from his distance. Mabel couldn’t move any part of her body and felt panic beginning to climb up her throat that she fought to keep contained.

  ** _“What,”_** Bill began, his voice a guttural growl, **_“are you doing here?”_**

Mabel swallowed, scrambling to find her voice. “Your - uh - your... bird brought me here.”

There was a distinct pause before his eyebrows drew together in clear confusion, dispelling some of the intimidation. “What?” His voice sounded normal.

Unable to point, Mabel had to settle for shifting her eyes aside. He followed her gaze to the sight of the white crow in question perched upon his dresser. William was currently preening himself, totally uninterested with the events taking place. Bill’s lips tugged down at the sight of the corvid and he took a step back and allowed her space to breathe once more. The pressure that had been pinning her to the wall disappeared in an instant and she let out a surprised gasp as she fell to her feet and stumbled slightly.

When she regained her balance and looked towards Bill, his eyes had bled back into their normal colours once again. He ran a hand through wet hair and shot her a disgruntled look as he obviously blamed her for his state of wetness. “It’s rude to enter a man’s private chambers, ya know.”

She frowned at that, clasping her hands to her chest. She was glad he'd lost the whole demonic eye thingy-majig, that stuff was creepy as hell. She could handle this Bill - sort of. “Well excuse me for trying to be a good Samaritan.” She should have just left him lying on the floor, dammit.

He said nothing, instead placing a gloved hand against his forehead and releasing an agrravated sigh as he closed his eyes for a moment. He looked somewhat pale in the face.

“Why exactly were you laying on the floor in the middle of the day?” she asked, curious. “I didn’t think demons could get ill.”

He pressed his lips together. “…Well duh, we don’t. This is…" A pause. "Something else.”

“Like what?”

Eyes reopening, amber eyes pierced her with another look. “…You know, you ask too much questions.”

“Well it’s not like you ever give a straight answer to any of them,” she retorted.

His frown deepened and he dropped his hand as he changed the topic. "Anyone ever tell you that entering others houses without permission isn’t polite. Were you raised in a barn?”

“The door was unlocked.”

“Of course it was. Why would I need to lock it? What would I need to keep out? I’m the most powerful thing in this dimension.”

“ _Buuuuut…_ I just found you unconscious on the floor.”

He glared at her but it was worth it since she _was_ right. Point Mabel.

“If you’re quite done being a nuisance, get the hell out of here.” He turned and headed towards his bed, picking up his cane that was laying on the covers. She frowned at his attempted dismissal of her and walked after him as he then headed towards the door.

“Hey wait, I’m still not done with you!” Stepping out of the bedroom she rushed after him.

“Really? Well I’m done with you and this conversation,” he tossed back, swinging his cane to and fro.

Following him through the corridors even when he sped up his pace, Mabel kept one foot behind him. “You haven’t answered any of my questions properly and you’re holding my brother hostage! You’re being a real buttface, do you know that?”

He stopped.

Mabel would have walked straight into him had he not turned around and used his cane to push her back a few steps. She released a small 'oof' as the end of his cane pressed against her stomach, peering up at him as he lowered it and she regained her balance. He was giving her an odd look.

“….A buttface,” he repeated, face void of emotion.

She paused before nodding, refusing to take a few further steps back even when the current proximity between them was a bit too small for her to be comfortable. “That’s right, you heard me.” She folded her arms pointedly. “A buttface.”

He stared at her for a long moment.

“Were you dropped on the head at birth?”

“Wha-" She glared. “No, that’s a horrible thing to say! See, this is why you’re a buttface!”

“I’m an omnipotent demon who has lived for almost a thousand years and enslaved hundreds of pathetic humans by taking their souls,” he deadpanned, "I've both created and destroyed empires within the blink of an eye and caused the downfall of Emperors and Kings with a snap of my fingers.

And yet _you,_ " he emphasized, "are calling me… a buttface.”

“Yeah,” she replied without missing a beat. She saw nothing wrong in her accusation. So what if he was a demon? She’d still call him all names under the sun.

Bill continued to regard her silently for several tense moments before, slowly, his lips twitched up into a smile. “Ha…” His stoic façade began to crumble, his smile stretching across his face. “Ha ha ha….!” Posture relaxing, he raised a gloved hand to his face as he devolved into laughter, eyes squeezed shut and shoulders shaking with each cackle.

Mabel finally took a step back at this response, staring at him with a guarded expression. What?

His laughter continued for several seconds before the demon finally appeared to calm down, taking in one large deep breath in order to compose himself. Dropping his hand, he reopened his eyes and gazed down at her with uncontained amusement.

“You’re funny.”

She stared back at him in bewilderment before her expression hardened. “I wasn’t trying to be.”

He tilted his head as if examining her. “I wonder what other funny stuff you can do…”

Mabel felt uncomfortable upon hearing that. It must have shown because his grin grew. “Tell you what, let’s make a deal.”

"Hell no-!"

“Not an official deal,” he cut in, raising a hand in a placating manner, “there will be no souls or wishes involved so don't worry your little head. It will the equivalent of an agreement between... _friends._ ”

“Friends," she repeated the word in distaste, a sour look on her face.

"Hm, acquaintances then?"

Mabel continued to give him an untrusting look. Still, she bit the bait. “What sort of agreement?”

“Well, you have questions and I have the answers. I’ll give them to you.”

He was staring at her with an intense look that reminded her of how cats stared at mice. This was just a game to him. A way to pass the time and amuse himself.

She was just another toy to him.

Mabel glared, a fire burning in her gaze. “And in return? What do you want?”

He leaned in towards her, using his cane to hold his weight. She resisted the temptation to lean away as he lowered his head so he was eye-level with her.

“A date.”

Her expression changed instantly.

“W-What!?” She _did_ flinch away from him at those words. “Why the- who would- that’s gross!” she sputtered.

He laughed at her response, leaning away. “Not a proper date of course - relax. Let's call it a playdate instead, shall we eh?”

She made a face.

He shrugged at her lack of enthusiasm at his offer. “Well, if you’re not interested then perhaps we have nothing more to discuss…” he began, turning around as if to leave.

Mabel’s eyes widened in alarm. “Hey, wait!”

He looked back at her with a smirk and she clenched her hands at her side, feeling frustration bubbling up within her. He had her right where he wanted her – again. Through every one of their encounters so far, he’d been yanking her along by the strings like a puppet and she’d been going along with it.

...But it was the only way for her to get answers.

Exhaling deeply, she met his gaze with her own as he shoulders dropped. “…Fine. I'll agree to it.” She purposefully avoided using the word ‘deal’.

He grinned.

A sudden flap of wings reached her ears and in the next moment William breezed past her head and came to land on Bill's shoulder. The crow settled down on his Master as it pinned Mabel with its red eyes, accompanied by Bill's own golden irises as both creatures that weren't human stared down at her.

She swallowed, feeling a heavy weight settle in her stomach that refused to shift.

Mabel had done many reckless things in her life that would be called impulsive.

And now, she’d agreed to date with the devil himself.

She didn’t think it got any more reckless than that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **edit: Laptop is currently broken and next update is delayed as a result. Check profile for full explanation.**
> 
>  
> 
> Lucky girl Mabel, got herself a date with Bill already! - and all she had to do was call him a buttface. (Also shout out to the crow, William. Gotta love that asshole corvid).
> 
> I'm trying not to make Mabel cry too much, I hate personifications of her in stories where she just cries non-stop. But, at the same time, this story has a lot of heavy themes in it which would result in her being overwhelmed and crying - especially when it comes to her favourite person in the whole world, her brother.
> 
> This chapter was fun to write when I finally figured out the direction to take it in - I rewrote it a few times and deleted half of it twice but it was worth it-! Please comment and tell me how you're finding this, I'm fighting to keep this story on the path I want to take it.
> 
>  
> 
> **Music used for inspiration writing this chapter:**
> 
>  
> 
> Avicii - Hey Brother (again)  
> The Eden Project - Drowning  
> The Hush Sound - The Boys Are Too Refined  
> SIAMES - Wolf


	7. Fingers Crossed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laptop broken for over a month so very delayed update.

 

Mabel was highly annoyed.

Not only had she had to deal with being asked out by a demon this morning, but when she’d eventually made her way back to Dipper’s place, noon had come and gone.

He hadn’t shown up.

Hence why the brunette was striding through town with fire raging in her eyes. The townsfolk quickly moved to the other side of the road when they saw her coming but she paid that no mind.

At least, not until one of them called out to her. “Mabel!”

Coming to an abrupt halt, the teenager turned around with a scowl as the stranger approached. When she noted who it was however, her expression smoothed out and her eyes widened in recognition. “You…”

She could only stare in surprise as her hand was taken in theirs, and a chaste kiss placed upon her skin. “Enchanté.”

* * *

Dipper frowned as he used a stick to draw various lines and calculations in the dirt, crouched down in the outskirts of the town near the entrance gate. Eyebrows drawn together in deep scrutiny, he was completely oblivious to the person walking up behind him until they spoke.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Gyah-!” Jumping in surprise, the young man snapped his head around to find a certain blonde staring down at him with an arched eyebrow and hands on hips. He grasped a hand over his heart as he stood up. “You- don’t sneak up on me like that, geez!”

“You didn’t answer my question,” she drawled, giving him a pointed look.

He sighed, readjusting the cap atop his head. (He'd definitely missed its absence for the few days it had been in Mabel's possession). “I was trying to calculate the location of the the weak point for this pocket dimension.” It had been something he'd been attempting for several years. He was certain there was _some way_ to figure it out—he was just missing some vital piece on how to do it and it frustrated him to no end.

Pacifica's expression hardened. “Why would you do that?”

A pause and he wasn’t looking her way as he scratched his chin idly. “So I can… break it?”

She stared at him for a long moment. “Even if you do that, you know we can’t leave.” Not when that demon had ownership over their souls.

Dipper nodded, a weak smile on his face even so. “I know. But I’m not doing this for me or you.”

Pacifica observed his smile and sighed, arms dropping to her side. “Alright, fine. Let's say you locate the weak point, you pop the bubble, your plan works. But what makes you think she’ll ever leave without you?”

His expression twisted.

“…I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

_“Dipper!”_

Both Dipper and Pacifica turned their heads in sync to find Mabel approaching from town.

And she wasn’t alone.

“Oh no…” Dipper muttered.

“Look who I ran into!” Mabel gushed, coming to a halt before them with a grin on her face. She held out her arms in a grand gesture toward her companion. “It’s Gideon! Gideon the Psychic!”

Pacifica made a look of distaste.

Dipper frowned. “Mabel…”

The white-haired boy chuckled. “I see my reputation proceeds me, I feel honoured for such a pretty girl to know me.”

Mabel shot him a smile. “Well duh! They named a town after you! I visited it on a school trip once and they told us all the story about how you had these psychic powers that saved the population from a landslide.”

Gideon chuckled. “Yup, that’s lil old me.”

Mabel placed a finger to her chin. “Then you went missing in mysterious circumstances and were never seen again after 1892.”

Gideon’s smile dampened slightly.

Dipper stepped closer. “Mabel, step away from him.”

The girl looked over toward her brother with a frown. “What, why?”

“Dipper isn’t very fond of me,” Gideon said, piercing the boy with an icy glare. “I find it hard to believe such a rude imbecile could be your twin, Mabel.”

Dipper scowled at him. “Mabel, why are you here? I said I was going to come get you at-“

He glanced at the town clock and his annoyance faded.

“…at noon. Oh.”

It was one o’clock already. He met his twin’s gaze and offered a sheepish smile. “…Sorry.”

She huffed and rolled her eyes but easily let it slide. “It’s fine, as long as you’re not avoiding me again.”

“I’m not, I promised.”

“Hm, well you look busy. Why don’t I take Mabel and show her around the town?” Gideon suggested, raising his eyebrows.

“Um, actually I wanted to talk to Dipper,” Mabel replied, giving him a placating smile.

Gideon’s smile faded. “Oh.” Dipper shot him a concerned look and even Pacifica looked briefly alarmed as the boy clenched his fists at his side. “Is that so…?” he asked, voice eerily calm.

“Yeah, but raincheck?” Mabel asked with a smile, appearing unconcerned.

There was a pause as Gideon stared up at her and a tense atmosphere enveloped the group which appeared to be felt by everyone except for Mabel. Then, just like that, Gideon broke into a wide grin and chuckled. “Haha, I’ll hold you to that my dear!” Taking her hand in his, he leant down and pressed a kiss to her skin which caused Mabel’s smile to become strained.

“Farewell, Mabel. Don’t be a stranger!”

As the boy turned and walked off, Mabel released a deep breath. “Phew…”

“Mabel,” Dipper said, a warning hint to his voice. But before he could speak on, she was already interrupting him.

“Dipper, do you know who the First Human is?”

“First… Human?” He glanced Pacifica's way but she looked just as confused.

“The first one to make a deal.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “Have you been talking to Old Man McGucket?”

“Yeah, but Celeste was the one who told me about it.”

“Celeste? The asshole unicorn who wanders the forest?”

“Hey, don’t insult her!”

Pacifica snorted, folding her arms over her chest. "McGucket is a kook. Everything he says is nonsense."

Mabel looked her way, gaze lingering on the girl as she recalled the less than fun terms they'd left on their last meeting. The blonde fidgeted under her gaze, clearly recalling this too before she purposefully looked away. "Well, whatever, I don't want to get caught between your gross sibling vibe so I'm gonna go."

"Eh? You don't have to-" Mabel began.

"See ya," Pacifica cut in, giving a wave before she walked off in the direction of town. Mabel frowned at her departure as Dipper folded his arms with a sigh.

“She's right, Mabel. Nothing McGucket says is unreliable. I doubt the person who made the first deal with that demon would still be around. Most of the people who make deals and end up in this town disappear after a century or so. McGucket is the only one I know who’s been here longer than that.”

_"A body without a soul is imbalanced. Eventually its sanity will rot and it will reach a point of no return."_

Mabel thought back to the monster she’d met in the woods and swallowed.

“He told me to go to the third floor of the mansion.”

Dipper shrugged. “…Yeah he told me that too. I tried it shortly after arriving here since it was the only lead I had to go on getting out of here.”

Mabel was surprised by that. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

“…So, what happened?”

Dipper scowled. “I got caught. That stupid bird found me whilst I was sneaking into the manor and that was it.”

“Yeah, it got in my way too,” she muttered. Damn that crow.

Dipper snapped his gaze up to her. “What do you mean?” His expression twisted and he gripped her by the shoulders. “Mabel, did you try and go there!?”

Woops. She averted her gaze, a sheepish smile on her face. “Uhhh… Sort of?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Hahaha… Well, this morning I might have… maybe… gone up to the manor… and met Bill.”

“Mabel, are you kidding me!?”

Mabel shrank slightly beneath his yelling, avoiding his gaze. She couldn't help it. She had questions and Bill was offering to answer them. It wasn't like he'd do anything to her anyway considering he needed her soul for when the new moon happened. For now at least, she was safe. ....Right? 

Dipper gripped at his hair. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you.” He sighed in frustration. “I’m trying to keep you _away_ from him Mabel.”

"He didn't do anything to me!" 

"He already tricked you into coming to this place and getting trapped here," Dipper hissed.

Her eyes narrowed. "Nobody tricked me. I followed those co-ordinates and came here myself." And she'd do it again if it meant finding him.

"Just..." Dipper took in a deep breath before releasing it, clearly worked up. "Stay away from him, Mabel. He's evil. He'd do anything to get his grimy hands on your soul if he could."

Mabel thought to the date she'd just agreed to and remained silent. When Dipper looked her way however she quickly placed a warm smile upon her face and stepped forward to embrace him.  "Fine, I'll stay away from him."

Her brother released a sigh of relief. "Thank you..."

He remained unaware of her crossed fingers against his back.

 

* * *

Bill had arranged the date on a whim.

In that moment, all he’d been able to think was how Shooting Star was amusing. She came out with words that caught him off guard and made his day interesting. Not unlike Stanford and the townsfolk who were boring and predictable.

She was here for another ten days, he might as well make use of her if she was able to temporarily lift his boredom.

“What do you think, William?” he asked, gazing out one of the manor windows and across the town. “Where should I take her on our date?”

He turned his head toward the crow currently perched on his shoulder, raising a hand to stroke its feathers. The bird squawked in response.

He’d had William as a companion as long as he could remember. The bird had existed at his side for centuries.

Bill could scarcely remember how the crow had come into his possession but his earlier memories weren’t important so he paid little attention to the absence in his mind.

He cared little for the past when his future was much more important.

And Mabel Pines was the key to its survival.

* * *

“What were you doing anyway?” Mabel asked as they walked through the town.

“Just… some calculations.”

“Urgh. Nerdy as always.”

Dipper remained looking on ahead in thought as they passed through the courtyard. There were a few townsfolk around who gave sideward glances but Mabel was starting to get used to it by now. If she pretended it was because she was a celebrity and they were her fans, it made it sort of fun.

“Hey, Mabel?”

Breaking out her fantasy, she turned around to find Dipper he come to a halt a few feet behind. "Yeah?"

Dipper stared down at the ground between them for a moment before raising his head to meet her gaze, expression serious. “If I ever found a way to get out of here, would you go?”

“Sure," she replied. "Just as long as you came with me."

Her brother sighed, dropping his shoulders. “Yeah, I figured.”

As Mabel thought on her response however, she wondered if that was really the case. If she left with Dipper, what would happen to the rest of the town? She'd come to really like those that she'd gotten to know and the prospect of leaving without her new friends filled her with guilt.

Her churning thoughts were halted by the sound of her name being called. When she turned her head, she found two of her friends heading this very way. Mabel broke into a smile at the sight of Candy and Grenda approaching. She hadn’t seen them since they visited the diner with Pacifica, and that had been a few days ago. 

“We finally found you,” Candy gushed once they were in front of the twins. “We visited your current accommodation a few times but you were always out.”

Mabel gave a small laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy…” Busy running from monsters and making dates with demons.

“You found your brother!” Grenda declared, giving her brother a thump on the shoulder. Dipper winced at the strength of the girls fist and rubbed his shoulder as he leaned away and gave an awkward smile to the new arrivals.

“Yup, this is my bro-bro!” Mabel sang, slinging an arm around him with a proud smile. “I’m the older one by five minutes.”

A scowl. “Why do you insist on telling everybody that?”

"We wanted to check you were okay," Candy explained. "We are sorry we haven't been better friends when you were kind enough to grace us with your friendship."

"Huh, whoah where's that coming from?" Mabel retracted her arm from around Dipper and forced a smile. "You guys are fine, it's my fault for not trying to find you guys sooner." A pause. "Tell ya what, why don't we go grab some food from the diner and find a place outside to sit?" 

The two girls exchanged glances before nodding. Candy smiled. "That sounds very fun."

Dipper frowned. "Do we really have the time to be sitting around doing nothing?"

Grenda snorted. "We've got nothing **_but_** time in this place."

"It's not like there's anything else to do," Mabel replied with a shrug.

Dipper looked as if he wanted to argue but with three girls pinning him down by their eyes he had no choice but to give in. "...Fine."

“Hooray, the more the merrier!”

Dipper grumbled as he was pulled away by the three girls.

But he supposed he should make the most of happy moments like this.

After all, there was a chance they weren't going to last for much longer.

* * *

The group of four grabbed takeout from the diner and found a peaceful place to sit upon a grassy hill. It was a hot summer day and it seemed odd to think that it could be so beautiful in such an odd place out of tune with the rest of the world. Currently, the group were all laid on the grass with their eyes skyward.

“It’s been a long time since I looked at the sky,” Candy whispered wistfully.

“You should do it more often," Mabel said. "I mean, check out that cloud, it totally looks like a horse on rollerskates.”

“Oh, it does!”

“I don’t see it,” Dipper muttered flatly.

“I see a rabbit with a jetpack,” Grenda chimed in.

“A ballerina on stilts!”

“A dog riding a train!”

“Okay, you guys are just making these up,” Dipper interrupted, eyebrows furrowed together as the girls laughed. “All I see is a cloud that vaguely looks like my old gym teacher.”

“Really? That one looks like Deep Chris to me.” Bless him and his boyband.

“Hm,” Candy hummed. “To me it looks like an old King with a crown on his head.”

Mabel laughed. “What about you Grenda?” When there was no response, she turned her head. “Grenda?”

The large girl stared ahead at the face-like cloud, expression unreadable. “…Marius.”

Mabel blinked. “Marius? Who’s that?”

Candy quickly sat up to look down at her friend and Mabel and Dipper followed suit. Grenda stared ahead at the cloud until it deformed beyond recognition and gave a heavy sigh.

“Marius was my fiancé.”

Mabel’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? You had a fiance!? Oh my God!”

Dipper looked equally surprised by this news—Candy was the only one unshaken.

“Well,” Grenda sat up and gave a shrug. “He totally had a thing for me and proposed but I told him—I said 'Marius, I can’t be tied down and no my answer wouldn't change no matter how much money you have!'" 

Mabel laughed. "Grenda, you dark horse!"

“He was so handsome,” Candy chimed in, clasping her hands in front of her dreamily.

Mabel turned her attention to the smaller girl. “Wait, you knew him too?” 

Candy dropped her hands and nodded. “Me and Grenda were childhood friends.”

Dipper blinked. “You were?”

“We grew up together,” Grenda elaborated. “We were going to go to college together and… and…” The girl trailed off and a subdued silence fell over their group.

“…What happened?” Mabel asked, unable to stop herself.

“…Marius and his family took me and Candy on a holiday,” Grenda said, voice low. “We were skiing on the slopes when I veered off course and went for a tree. Marius pushed me out of the way but collided with it instead.” The girl dropped her gaze down to her hands. “He died instantly.”

Mabel placed a hand over her mouth. “Oh God, I’m so sorry Grenda…” She reached out a hand for the girls shoulder. Grenda was silent for a moment before raising her head and slamming her fist into the palm of her other hand. “I wasn’t going to let that idiot die on me so I went ahead and made a deal to bring him back.”

Oh.

Mabel gave a weak smile. “You’re a sweet person, Grenda.” She hadn’t even made the deal for herself.

“But wait, then how did you get here Candy?” Dipper asked, cutting through the heartfelt moment to gaze at the other girl.

Candy’s cheeks turned pink under the intense scrutiny and she averted her gaze as Grenda placed an arm around her. “…Grenda was my only friend growing up. I was there when she made her deal and when the demon told me that she would be gone forever, I… I did not want that to happen. So, I asked to come with her so that she would not be alone.”

“You sold your soul just to come to this place?” Dipper asked in disbelief.

A small nod.

Mabel felt tears in her eyes as she gazed at them. “That’s so sad but so beautiful—selling your soul for the sake of someone else.” It was almost romantic. She stood by her initial judgement of these two girls—they were kind-hearted people and she felt a great kinship with them.

After all, she planned on doing the very same thing to save Dipper.

At the thought of her brother, she turned her head his way only to find him staring at the girls with an unreadable expression upon his face and hands clenched in his lap.

"Dipper?"

At the sound of her voice he looked her way before straightening up. She frowned at his odd behaviour but before she could speak he beat her to it.

“So, how long have you guys been here again? We’ve never really spoken.”

“Oh, it has only been a couple of decades."

Mabel pressed her lips together as she narrowed her eyes at his avoidant behaviour.

He was clearly keeping things from her but then again, so was she. When they'd been young, they'd scarcely kept things from one another but a lot of years had passed with them separated since then. 

Luckily for her, she had a date with a certain demon tomorrow.

Perhaps he'd shine light on some of her questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small chapter acting as a segway for the next few updates which will be livelier. (And Gideon, Gideon will have a larger role a handful of chapters down the line). Kudos to everyone still reading through this convoluted plot - I promise the MaBill will be worth it when it happens.
> 
> Hoping to get the next chapter out before the end of the month - fingers crossed.
> 
> Next chapter we see: An unusual date, the reveal of a new (and important) location, history on the town itself, and some insight into another characters deal and how they came to make it.


	8. Forest of the Damned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to a variety of reasons, I ended up having to heavily cut down the actual "date" from this chapter. That said, here is still a date that happens later on, so you will still get a proper MaBill date within this story.

Mabel had been on her fair share of bad dates over the years. 

But this definitely took the #1 spot.

(And that was including the time she met up with a guy who brought along another girl).

Mabel sucked on her finger as it bled. When the demon had taken her out into the garden and brought the grave of dead flowers and foliage back to life, she'd actually thought it was beautiful. Then, during her awe-struck moment, the jerk had "accidentally" tripped her up with his cane and sent her falling into a bed of thorny roses whilst he laughed.

She hated him.

Fro the moment she'd arrived at the manor a few hours ago, she'd been dealing with his childish actions. He'd offered her a cup of tea and Mabel, so desperate to consume something that was actually hot, had taken it like an idiot.

Needless to say, having hot tea spilled on your lap wasn't a pleasant experience.

Mabel had the sneaking suspicion the demon was trying to see how far he could push her before she gave up and left in aggravation. Well, if that was his game, then she had no intention on leaving before she got some answers! She’d sat through an entire marathon of Lord of the Rings to impress some hot guy when she was sixteen—she could do anything! Just like how Frodo threw that ring into Mount Doom in Mordor. (Dammit, she hated that she still remembered that.)

“Ya know,” Bill began, disrupting her thoughts as they walked through one of the many hallways within the manor. “I don’t usually go on dates but it’s to my knowledge that you’re meant to dress up.” He gave her a once over with an arched eyebrow.

Mabel flushed in embarrassment. She was still borrowing some of Dipper’s clothes since she hadn't exactly brought a whole lot of clothes to begin with and was currently wearing an over-sized flannel shirt and cargo pants. 

"I only dress up for guys I actually like," she replied instead. "And it's not like you changed, you're wearing the same thing you always do." Though, admittedly it was more many leagues more fashionable than what she was wearing right now. The whole yellow and black suit ensemble looked annoyingly good on him.

“You know what they say,” Bill drawled with a smile. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

“Someone should fix your personality,” she muttered darkly which earned a snort from him. It was almost as if he got off on her insulting him some times. She couldn't figure him out. “And anyway,” she added in a louder voice. “Don’t try and change the subject. You still haven’t answered any of my questions. I’ve been putting up with your bullying all afternoon so 'fess up the info you jerk!”

Bill came to a stop in the center of the hallway.

Mabel paused too, peering up at him as he stared ahead in thought for a moment. Then, slowly but surely, a lazy smile manifested and stretched its way upon his face. Mabel didn't like the sight of it one bit—especially when he directed it down towards her. The low sun shining in through the windows cast a sinister shadow upon his expression and Mabel was reminded once again in that instant that he was a demonic entity.

“Why don’t we play a game?”

“…A game?” she repeated warily.

He nodded, positioning his cane before him as he used it as a prop to lean against and grin down at her. Mabel swallowed as his face drew uncomfortable closer against hers, trying to resist the temptation to step away. It was annoying how handsome he was up close.

“You win and I’ll tell you everything you want and more~”

She frowned. “Wasn't the point of this date meant to be that anyway? You're cheating."

"I never cheat."

"You are! You're going back on your word, we had an agreement!" she snapped back. "I hang out with you and you answer my questions!"

"Ah, but I never said _when_ I would answer your questions," he replied with a shit-eating grin. "That's the importance of phrasing, Shooting Star."

Mabel could feel the anger bubbling within her stomach as her expression darkened. Unable to contain all of it, some of the anger escaped in the form of her swinging her hand forward towards his face.

It never met its target.

Bill clicked his tongue as he parried her blow away with his cane, observing her with mock disappointment. She let out a hiss of pain, cradling her arm against her chest where she was bound to form a bruise later on.

"You should know better than that, kid," Bill drawled, observing her. 

"You're an ass!" she hissed, fighting back tears of frustration.

"Hey, I'm not totally evil. You want answers? Fine. Win a game against me and I'll answer your questions whenever you want to ask them."

"..."

"Well?" 

Mabel chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment before speaking. "...What sort of game?"

Bill grinned.

“How are you at Hide and Seek?”

* * *

Mabel slid down the staircase banister, gaining speed until she leapt off at the very end and landed on both feet within the entrance of the first floor. 

_“If you can stay hidden within the mansion until the sun sets in half an hour, you win.”_

The doors leading out the front entrance were before her but they were no use to her in this moment. The brunette turned on her heel and darted for the nearest corridor.

_“Fine but you can’t use any of your powers." A pause. "Or that crow!”_

_“Deal.”_

Skidding around a corner and almost falling on her ass upon the smooth hardwood floors, she scrambled to find her balance before hurriedly throwing open every door she came across in search of a successful hiding place. No, no, no, none of these were good! She needed somewhere she could remain safe for thirty minutes!

_“I’ll even be nice and unlock all the doors on the first and second floor.”_

_“What about the third floor? Why is that off limits?”_

Aware he must be reaching one hundred rather soon, Mabel turned yet another corner in the maze of corridors to spot a set of wide double doors that lay ahead. 

_“…Maybe if you win, I’ll tell you.”_

Throwing the ornate doors wide open with both arms, Mabel breathed heavily as she stood within the doorway and surveyed the room before her with wide eyes.

It was a library.

Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, and even more sets of shelves stood in tall rows that ran through the room. There wasn't an inch of shelf space that wasn't occupied, and the forest of books taking up the area were even over-spilling into large, unbalanced piles on the floor. 

Mabel didn't consider herself much of a book person but even she was taken away by the volume of books in this place—she could only imagine how Dipper would react if he was privy to such a sight.

**_“Ready or not, here I come.”_ **

Mabel flinched as the deep voice echoed throughout the mansion like a breeze and quickly shut the doors behind her. This place was so large, it looked like it could hold a promising place to hide. She quickly headed towards one of the aisles between the towering rows of shelves and began walking.

And walking.

And walking further.

The more she walked, the deeper into the library she went. The setting sun shone through the windows, casting an eery red glow upon everything it touched and Mabel found herself unsettled by how quiet it was in here. Layers of dust lined every book and shelf and Mabel couldn’t understand why he’d need this many books to begin with.

No matter how much she walked, there was no end to the room in sight and she came to assume there must be some magic at play here because there was no way such a large and vast room would fit within the mansion from what she'd seen of it. Was there even an end to this room to begin with? Or would she find herself walking on and on in an endless fashion? Or perhaps she'd loop around and suddenly walk back out into the entrance of the library where she'd started?

Just as she was wondering whether or not to hide behind a pile of books, Mabel's eyes fell fell upon a book in the shadows peeking slightly out of step with all the others volumes on its row. She was stepping towards it before she even realised and taking the book out of its perch.

It was bound in a lavish purple cover with gold trimming, however when Mabel turned it over in her hands she couldn't find any hint of a title or blurb stating what it was about.

And yet… it somehow felt familiar to her.

Mabel regarded the book for a few seconds.

Then she opened it.

Then everything went white.

* * *

“…What the?”

Mabel blinked away the blinding light to find herself stood in— wait this was the second floor hallway of the manor. How the hell had she got up here?

Her confusion was only heightened when the sound of a baby crying disrupted her thoughts. Mabel snapped her head around toward a door behind her which was—wait wasn't that the door to Bill's bedroom? And yet, it sounded like there were numerous unfamiliar voices coming from inside.

Stepping forward, Mabel peered through the ajar door and took in the sight before her. The room was filled with several women dressed in odd and fanciful clothing as they spoke in hushed tones. However, her eyes were drawn to the bed. A tall man stood beside it as he gazed down at the beautiful woman seated upright, a crying bundle in her arms.

The woman was staring down impassively at the child and when she spoke, her voice was flat. “…It’s a girl.”

The man’s lips pressed flatly together beneath his mustache. It was clear these two were witnessing their new-born child and yet neither seemed thrilled about the prospect.

“How… disappointing,” the man drawled.

Suddenly, the scene began to melt around her and Mabel released a yelp of surprise as she took a step back in surprise and looked around in alarm.

Then, just like that, she was in the town courtyard.

But it was different. It was alive. Townspeople walked through the area with smiles on their face as they chatted amicably and the buildings seemed almost new and brighter.

As Mabel looked around and tried to make sense of what was happening, a young child ran past her legs. She snapped her head around to see a blonde girl running across the area towards a woman stood on the pavement and Mabel recognised the woman as the one she'd seen seated in bed only moments ago. 

Mabel drew closer but nobody paid her attention. 

It was as if she wasn't there.

"Mother, look what one of the towns children gave me!" the girl said, holding up her hand which held a marble within it. The look of delight on her face was clear as she smiled in excitement with flushed cheeks.

"We don't touch stuff belonging to peasants, Pacifica."

The woman slapped the item out of the child's hand.

The marble hit the ground and rolled until coming to a stop by Mabel's feet. But she was too focused staring at the girl—at Pacifica—with shock. The young girl looked heartbroken as her mother grabbed her by the wrist and began dragging her along.

"Now then, you have important classes with your tutor back up at the manor. Let's return this instant."

Mabel watched them leave. “Am I… in the past?”

The scene changed again before she could receive an answer.

Before she could receive an answer, the scene melted once again.

Mabel was in one of the manor corridors once again, the voices of two men drifting from a nearby door jarred slightly open.

“…I heard your wife gave birth to a still-born boy. My condolences, Preston.”

Silence.

“At least you have that daughter of yours though, cute little thing. You can marry her off to someone for a pretty penny when she's older.”

“Hmm.”

“…Speaking of money. As you already know, the deadline has passed for this month’s payment and you still haven’t paid. I’ll be doubling the loan interest.”

“What! That’s ridiculous!!”

“Is it? Don’t forget that you would never be mayor of this town if not for my funding. You'd be bankrupt without my help. This cushy lifestyle you live right now is only possible because you had me helping you out.”

In the silence that followed Mabel heard a small breath and looking down she was surprised to find a young Pacifica stood listening as well. She was older than before, coming to Mabel’s shoulders as she stood with a grim expression upon her face. For a child so young, the expression she wore was already so dim and hopeless.

The scene changed again and again like a book flipping through its pages and Mabel found herself yanked along beside the blonde girl as they flew by.

Various tutors and classes.

A lavish lifestyle with only the finest clothing and food.

Staring out the window wistfully as children played upon the hill.

Whispered conversations in the back rooms.

Strange men in dark suits visiting the mansion.

Parents arguing and turning their anger upon her.

So many days spent locked in a bedroom.

Her father returning home with a black eye and bloody lip.

Selling off items but it wasn't enough. It never was.

Endless yelling and pointing the blame.

Until eventually, one day, she was called to her father’s study.

Mabel followed a fifteen-year old Pacifica as she walked down the corridor. She held her head high but even Mabel could tell she was somewhat nervous. Lead to the second floor, Pacifica paused in the doorway, blocking Mabel’s view.

“You asked for me, father?”

“…Yes.” Preston Northwest’s voice sounded tense as he spoke. “I have someone to introduce to you. Say hello, dear.”

Pacifica stepped forward into the room, giving a small curtsy. “Pleased to meet you, Sir.”

Mabel walked in after her and peered around the room. Pacifica's mother stood in the corner, a glass of wine in her hands which she held with a trembling hand whilst staring down at the ground. Preston pulled at his collar in an attempt to loosen it, beads of sweat adorning his face as he cleared his throat.

Something bad was happening here.

The chair situated behind Preston's desk began to slowly turn around, and the man seated within it smiled as his eyes met Pacifica's across the table.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Her blood ran cold.

“The name’s Bill Cipher.”

Mabel sucked in a sharp breath as she was forced to watch the scene continue to play out before her.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of you before. Are you new in town?” Pacifica asked, giving a polite smile in reutrn.

“…You could say that,” Bill responded. “I tend to travel from place to place but I’m getting rather old so I figured I should find a place to settle down. This place seems nice.”

“…Old? You don’t look that old to me.”

“Heh, maybe not.” Bill stretched out in the chair, placing two heavy-clad boots on Mr. Northwest's desk as he leaned back. “Either way, I’m here to help your old dad.”

Pacifica gazed down at his feet placed inappropriately on the furniture but said nothing. She also cast her father a brief glance too however Preston was looking anywhere but at her.

“Seems like your papa has got into trouble with some pretty bad people. It’d be nice to have all his debts squared off and be granted a new luxurious life somewhere they couldn’t find him, hmm?~”

Pacifica frowned. “…Yes. I suppose that would be nice.”

“Luckily, I can do just that!”

The blonde blinked in surprised, clearly caught off guard. “You... can? Really?"

“Sure, I just need a little something in exchange!”

The girl’s tentative smile evaporated in an instant, a weary look on her face. “…What?”

“Ha, you look suspicious! I bet you wouldn’t have got in this mess like your father. Clearly you didn’t get his brains which is a blessing.”

Preston shot him a look. “Excuse me-!”

“You’re excused,” Bill drawled with a roll of his eyes before returning his attention to the girl. “Anyway, the deal’s simple. I can get rid of all these problems. All I require is a soul.”

“A… A what?”

“A soul. I’m a demon.”

Pacifica stared flatly at him for several seconds before turning to her father. “Father, where did you find this man?”

“He summoned me!”

Pacifica gave him an unamused look.

“It’s true,” Preston confirmed.

“W-What?”

Preston took a step forward, suddenly grasping his daughters arms as he stared down at her desperately with imploring eyes. “If we make this deal, everything will be fixed Pacifica. No more loansharks, no more blackmail. My life will be back to how it was supposed to be!”

Pacifica stared back at him wide-eyed. She looked to her mother for help but Priscilla remained averting her gaze, only taking another heavy drink of wine from her glass.

“So please…” Preston’s fingers dug into his daughters arm causing her to wince and returned her attention his way. “Save us, my daughter.”

“I... I don't..."

“I need a soul to make a deal,” Bill cut in, dropping his feet from the desk in favour of leaning forward in his chair. “That's the rule. I don’t care whose it is as long as I get it. Only catch is it needs to be handed over by the owner willingly.”

Pacifica’s face paled as the situation began to dawn on her. “Y-You want me…?”

Preston’s grip tightened further. “ ** _Please,_** Pacifica.”

When she only continued to stare up at him in shock, he pulled her into a warm embrace and whispered into her ear. “We’ll come back for you. Later. When it’s safe.”

Mabel had seen enough of the girls past to know this was probably the first time in her life her father had embraced her. Tears began to gather in her eyes and Mabel found herself clenching at her shirt.

“…Don’t do it, Pacifica,” she whispered.

The blonde sniffled as she hugged her father back desperately and the man gave his wife a look over his daughters head who nodded and came over, joining in the family embrace.

“I love you mother and father," Pacifica sobbed.

“We love you too, Pacifica,” Priscilla cooed.

Mabel felt sick. They were lying. Pacifica was surrounded by three snakes only thinking for themselves.

“So, do we have a deal?” Bill asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Pacifia sniffed against her fathers chest once more and when she pulled away, she squeezed her eyes shut and gave a tight nod. “…Y-Yes.”

Bill grinned as the young teenager stepped away from her parents, giving them one last lingering look. Her father nodded as he patted her head in an intended affectionate matter. “We love you, Pacifica.”

“I love you too, daddy.” She began turning towards Bill.

Mabel’s eyes widened and she stepped forward. Seriously? That was all it took from those assholes to get her to lay her soul on the line? “Wait, don’t!”

Bill reached out his hand over the desk, eyes gleaming. “Do we have a deal?”

Even if it was pointless Mabel still found herself rushing forward to push the girl away.

Instead, she sailed right through her form like a ghost.

She released a grunt as she tumbled to the floor and hit the wall with her forehead, wincing in pan before pushing herself up. She looked over just as Pacifica nodded her head, expression determined.

“We do.”

She took Bill’s hands.

And then the book was yanked out of her hands.

Mabel stumbled as she suddenly found herself standing once again in the library, and it took her a moment of disorientation to figure out her surroundings.

_"Found you."_

Mabel turned around to find Bill stood there with the purple book clutched in his hand and a disapproving frown on his face. The sun had set even further, the light growing even dimmer in the library. The red glow of the sun appeared to reflect against his eyes in the shadows, giving them a blood-like tint. “Tsk, tsk, didn't anyone tell you it's rude to snoop in people's lives?"

Mabel stared. “…I …what?”

Bill snorted and took a step forward to return the book in its original place. Mabel found herself feeling muddled as she pressed a hand against the shelf for balance. Urgh, her head hurt. “What… what was that?” 

“The entire life of Pacifica Elise Northwest from birth until she made a deal with me,” Bill stated. He met her eyes and when she continued to stare at him blanky, he added: “That book is her soul.”

Mabel snapped her gaze back towards the book. “....Her …soul?”

“Well, I needed some way to store all the souls I collected and after trying various different methods over the years, I found this library idea was quite effective."

Mabel took a step back.

“All… all the souls?”

She raised her head and allowed her gaze to wander up at the expanse of unending shelves of books around them.

There must be hundreds, there must be thousands.

And every single one was a soul?

“…Oh my God.”

She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock, feeling nauseous. Every one of these belonged to a person that had made a deal with Bill. 

“Pacifica’s family were quite helpful,” Bill mused aloud, ignoring her horrified reaction. “They gave me this entire town a few centuries ago and it made things so much easier.”

Mabel stared back at him in stunned silence. She thought back to Pacifica, to how easily she'd been manipulated into selling her soul for two people who had never even cared for her to begin with.

_“We’ll come back for you."_

They never did.

Bill watched the revelation dawn upon her face and grinned. “Well then, since you you seem to have found this place, I went and fetched something I think you’ll like.”

He raised his other hand and it was then Mabel noted he was holding a petite green book in his hand. Unlike the purple volume, it looked less worn and relatively new, its cover still glossy.

“Whose is that’s?”

Bill held it out towards her, eyes glittering sinisterly. “Why don’t you open it and find out?”

Mabel cleared her throat, feeling unsettled even as she took the book despite it. The previous book had felt familiar and lured her in with a small, barely noticeable tug.

This one grabbed her by the arm and yanked her forward.

Mabel opened the book and the same light as earlier engulfed her.

When its blinding brilliance faded, she found herself seated on a familiar couch in a familiar living room. The sound of crunching reached her ears and Mabel already knew who it would be before she turned her head.

Even so, she couldn’t help the small intake of breath as her eyes fell upon a younger Dipper watching television with bright eyes as he ate potato chips.

She was inside Dipper’s book.

She was inside Dipper’s soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tah daaaah~
> 
> Next chapter we rewind back a few years to follow a younger Dipper and his first meetings with some certain characters. Should be fun!~  
> In the meantime here are some links. I created a cast list with the ages, deals made etc to keep easy track of. I’m aware some of my readers don’t have access to tumblr so there’s a google doc version available too.
> 
> \- [Spotify playlist for DWTD](https://open.spotify.com/user/0zixp30314om3dmirnm1obue7/playlist/4hMgHD7XroLtGTm8Jtd4tx?si=CpdTeJ4MRGWN1z4xuRB5Ug)  
> \- Cast List: [[Tumblr Ver]](https://asterkiss.tumblr.com/dwtd_cast) [[Google Doc Ver]](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZVs1sXP75Ioquuym4DUL4TajHC5CL5PFQmStL2XV5Cg/edit?usp=sharing)


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